Species · genus Hibiscus · Malvaceae

Smooth Rose-mallow

Hibiscus laevis All.

Also known as: Halberd-leaved Rose-mallow · Military Hibiscus · Scarlet Rose-mallow · Halberd-leaf Rose-mallow · Halberdleaf Rosemallow

Growth habit

perennial or helophyte

Hibiscus laevis — reference photo — Sims · Public domain

Cultivars of H. laevis

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under H. laevis yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Name Among Names

Hibiscus laevis is a botanical name first published in 1773, though current taxonomic opinion treats it as a synonym of Muenchhusia laevis. It is one of those plants better known by its older, still widely used name than by the one now considered technically correct.

Source: Kew

A Name With History

The name Hibiscus laevis was first set down in 1773 in the Auctorum Synopsis Methodica Stirpium Horti Regii Taurinensis. Despite being reclassified, it continues to be the name cited in numerous regional floras across the eastern United States, including guides to the vascular plants of Tennessee, Kentucky, Maryland, Alabama, Illinois, and New York.

Source: Kew

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 2-5d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 5 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–32 °C

Soil mix

Rich, moisture-retentive mix kept consistently damp

Propagation

Seed or stem cuttings

Fertilizing

Regular balanced feed every 2-4 weeks while growing

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Pale pink to white blooms with ample light and moisture

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Not yet documented

This is where toxicity lives — every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 2-5d) · ai:claude-fable-5

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Smooth Rose-mallow yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.