Interesting hibiscus

[wetfeet101b]

I bought this hibiscus from the bargain bin at the garden center (3 1-gallon pots for $10.00) and did not have any flowers yet when I bought it.

This bloomed a couple of days ago but I did not really take a close look at it.
Now that I did, I noticed that the flower appears to be a combination of at least four flowers (4 sets of petals, 4 columns, etc).

But the interesting part is that they are all on the same flower stalk and is really just a single flower.

I have seen a lot of hibiscus flowers but this is the first time I have seen a multi-column hibiscus.

I will look at the other flowers on the plant when they open and will see if this is normal for this plant to bloom like this.

The flower is a bit ragged as it is already past its prime.

[ang709]

Very pretty and the pale pink is lovely. I believe all the flowers will look like that when they open. I'm not an expert, but I believe that one fits into the category of what they call "double hibiscus". Someone else may have more expertise...

[cindiras]

Wow! That has to be more than a double Hibiscus, looks like it must be a Quad!

[ang709]

I agree that double seems to be a misnomer, but it seems any hibiscus with more than one set of petals is labeled as a double. I don't know why, I would love for some one to explain.

Doing an online search for double hibiscus brings up a variety of flower types, some with the center of the flower looking like a typical hibiscus, others fuller looking, like the one in this thread. I found one called "double coral" that is very similar in shape to the one in this thread. The delicate pink color of John's is prettier than that one, though.

[Brutal_Dreamer]

I like it. It is so unusual to see one like that. Very cool. Thanks for sharing the photo.

Cheers,
BD

[Diane]

I think you ought to send it somewhere for special care.... maybe to 1000 Oaks....

[Molly Taco]

Lovely, Cin

[Ron-NY]

another nice one! The ones Tami post awhile ago were really different as well!

[wetfeet101b]

I think you ought to send it somewhere for special care.... maybe to 1000 Oaks....

Sure. This is still a young plant, but once I get some 1-year wood stems I can root some cuttings and share with anyone who is into these plants as well.

The plant pots have the variety names on them. But I did not really pay any close attention to the name. I just read the variety names enough for me to make sure I did not get any duplicates when I picked up three from the shelf.

I'll write down the variety name tomorrow and post here. Perhaps it would shed some more light on this double-double thing


On a related note, the nearby grocery stores has the parking lot crawling with overgrown hibiscus plants that have beautiful pale pink flowers with wonderful form. I am so tempted to park my car near one of those and snip a few wood stems for me to root.
Or a less troublesome method: I'll walk up to the landscapers the next time they are pruning the plants and ask for some of the scrap wood stems

[Tmai]

On a related note, the nearby grocery stores has the parking lot crawling with overgrown hibiscus plants that have beautiful pale pink flowers with wonderful form. I am so tempted to park my car near one of those and snip a few wood stems for me to root.
Or a less troublesome method: I'll walk up to the landscapers the next time they are pruning the plants and ask for some of the scrap wood stems

That's how I got most of my collection LOL! We would spot some likely prospects for pruning the the campgrounds where we were staying then sneak over on our bicycles in the middle of the night to sneak a cutting. Seriously, most were asked for and everyone was very generous.

Tami