Saturday 25 May
Endangered Species of the Week: Kakapo - the World's Favourite Species!
Hill hibiscus (Hibiscus sturtii)
Top facts
- The hill hibiscus is native to Australia.
- Hill hibiscus seeds are encased within hairy, spherical capsules that are one centimetre in length.
What’s the World’s Favourite Species?
Find out here.Hill hibiscus fact file
- Description
- Biology
- Range
- Habitat
- Status
- Threats
- Conservation
- Find out more
- Glossary
- References
- Print factsheet
Hill hibiscus description
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Phylum | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Order | Malvales |
| Family | Malvaceae |
| Genus | Hibiscus (1) |
The hill hibiscus (Hibiscus sturtii) is a rigid plant that grows both outwards (horizontal to the ground) and upwards (2) (3). Its broad, oval-shaped leaves are thick and soft, and its flowers vary in colour being either pink, purple or white (2) (4). Each flower has a diameter of approximately six centimetres (2). The seeds are contained within hairy, spherical, one-centimetre capsules (1) (2).
There are five recognised varieties of the hill hibiscus: Hibiscus var. grandiflora, Hibiscus var. sturtii, Hibiscus var. muelleri, Hibiscus var. campylochlamys, and Hibiscus var. platychlamys (2) (3). These varieties differ slightly in appearance and geographical location within Australia (3).
- Size
- Height: 75 cm (2)
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Related species
Hill hibiscus biology
The hill hibiscus flowers continuously throughout the year (6), but each individual flower only survives for up to two days (2). This species can survive in a range of soils and habitats (6), but is known to be sensitive to frost (7).
There is currently very little information available on the biology of the hill hibiscus.
TopHill hibiscus range
The hill hibiscus is considered to be widespread across Australia, with the exception of Victoria and Tasmania (2).
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Species with a similar range
Hill hibiscus habitat
Occurring in a variety of different habitats, the hill hibiscus is found in open forest and on sand plains (2). This species also occurs in rocky habitats and woodland dominated by eucalyptus trees (5).
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Species found in a similar habitat
Hill hibiscus status
The hill hibiscus is not yet classified on the IUCN Red List.
TopHill hibiscus threats
The hill hibiscus is not currently considered to be a threatened species.
TopHill hibiscus conservation
There are no known conservation measures for the hill hibiscus at present.
TopFind out more
Find out more about the hill hibiscus:
-
The Australian Native Plants Society - Hibiscus sturtii:
http://anpsa.org.au/h-stu.html -
PlantNet New South Wales Flora online - Hibiscus sturtii:
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hibiscus~sturtii
More on Australian flora:
-
FloraBase: The Western Australian Flora:
http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/
Authentication
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Glossary
- Variety
- In taxonomy, the science of classifying organisms, variety is a rank below species or subspecies. Members of a variety differ from others of the same species in relatively minor ways.
References
-
PlantNet: New South Wales Flora online - Hibiscus sturtii (March, 2013)
http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Hibiscus~sturtii -
Australian Native Plants Society - Hibiscus sturtii (March, 2013)
http://anpsa.org.au/h-stu.html - Bentham, G. and von Mueller, F. (1863)Flora Australiensis: A Description of the Plants of the Australian Territory. Volume One. L. Reeve and Company, London.
- Woolls, W. (1867) A contribution to the flora of Australia. F. White, Sydney.
- Pellow, B., Henwood, M. and Carolin, R. (2009) Flora of the Sydney Region: a complete revision. Fifth Edition. Sydney University Press, Sydney.
-
FloraBase: The Western Australian Flora (March, 2013)
http://florabase.dec.wa.gov.au/browse/profile/4942 -
Alice Springs Town Council Recommended Plant Database - Hibiscus sturtii (March, 2013)
http://www.alicesprings.nt.gov.au/plant/display/id/150
More »Related species
This species is featured in:
This species is found in Barrow Island. Visit our Barrow Island topic page to find out more.
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Image credit
Hill hibiscus flower
© Wayne Lawler / Auscape International
Auscape International
PO Box 1024,
Bowral
NSW
25a76
Australia
Tel: (+61) 2 4885 2245
Fax: (+61) 2 4885 2715
sales@auscape.com.au
http://www.auscape.com.au
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