Common Name: Cotton Rose

General Information

Hibiscus mutabilis is an erect, robust, much-branched deciduous shrub or small tree growing from 1.5 - 5 metres tall[, , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild mainly as a medicinal plant and source of fibre. It is widely cultivated in tropical and occasionally in temperate areas as an ornamental plant, valued particularly for its flowers, which change colour as the day progresses; there are many named varieties[, , ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

E. Asia - southeastern China

Habitat

Thickets along the sides of streams[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Hibiscus mutabilis is not a very cold-hardy plant, being able to tolerate short periods with temperatures falling to around -5°c when fully dormant. Top growth will be killed by even a slight frost, but the roots are somewhat hardier and the plant can resprout from the base after a few degrees of frost[, ].
An easily grown plant, requiring very little attention, it prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun[, ]. Prefers a warm but wet winter[].
The plant is almost certainly originally native to SE China, but was domesticated a long time ago. It is now cultivated throughout the world and has occasionally become naturalized elsewhere, such as in Japan[].
The plant can probably be grown outdoors in the milder areas of the temperate zone, especially if given a good mulch in the winter. It is widely cultivated in tropical and occasionally in temperate areas as an ornamental plant, there are many named varieties[].

Edible Uses

Leaves[]. The leaves contain rutin, but the report does not say in what quantity[].

Root - it is edible but very fibrous[]. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour[].

Medicinal

The leaves are anodyne, antidotal, demulcent, expectorant and refrigerant[].
The leaves are a component in a medicine used for treating tuberculous lymphadenitis[].

The flowers are antiphlogistic, depurative, febrifuge, pectoral and stimulant[, , ]. A decoction or infusion is used in the treatment of chest and pulmonary complaints [, , ].
The flowers are a component in a medicine used for treating nasopharyngeal carcinoma[]

The flowers and leaves are often used in combination, when they are considered analgesic, antibacterial, demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, cooling, and antidote to all kinds of poison[, ]. They are taken internally in the treatment of conditions such as persistent coughs, menorrhagia, leucorrhoea, mastitis, nephritis, cystitis, dysuria and infections[].
Combined with the flowers, the leaves are applied as a poultice to a range of skin problems such as impetigo, wounds, swellings and cutaneous infections, but especially burns and scalds that are slow to heal[, , , , , ]. They are used in treating boils, particularly on the chin, in the form of a poultice made from the powdered dried leaves and flowers mixed with a concentrated tea infusion, which makes the boils burst earlier and less painfully[].

The leaves and flowers are both preferably used fresh. The leaves ean be harvested all the year round, the flowers are picked during the flowering period[].

Other Uses

A strong fibre obtained from the bark is used for making cords and rope[, , ].

An extract of the flowers is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Propagation

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Germination is usually fairly rapid. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If growing them as annuals, plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and protect them with a frame or cloche until they are growing away well. If hoping to grow them as perennials, then it is better to grow them on in the greenhouse for their first year and to plant them out in early summer of the following year.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame. Overwinter them in a warm greenhouse and plant out after the last expected frosts.