Tropical Hibiscus Japanese Lantern or Fringed Rosemallow

Description:

Botany Hibiscus schizopetalus is a species of Hibiscus native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique. It is a shrub growing to 3 m tall. The red or pink flowers are very distinctive in their frilly, finely divided petals.[1][2] Its common names include Japanese Lantern, Coral Hibiscus and Fringed Rosemallow. Flowers with finely dissected petal have a range of colours, the most common being the red form (Keena et al., 2002; Ng, 2006). Leaves resemble those of H. rosa-sinensis. Chemistry The major anthocyanin found in flowers of H. schizopetalus is cyanidin-3-sambusophoroside (Lowry, 1976). From leaves, two new triterpene esters have been isolated (Jose & Vijayan, 2006).

Habitat:

Cultivated. Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, S Yunnan [native to E Africa; now widely cultivated as an ornamental].