Western Rose Mallow
Hibiscus lasiocarpos
Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- Up to about 8 feet
- Spread
- 2–3 feet
- Light
- Sun
- Soil moisture
- Wet
Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count
Will it fit your yard?No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
Not yet recorded · Bloom
Recorded in 6 Alabama counties.
Who uses this plant?
40CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL
Genus host records with ranges including AL · Hibiscus
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
- Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
- Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
- Anomis illitaOkra Leafworm Moth
- Anomis impastaGrey-Eyed Scalloped Moth
- Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
- Automeris ioIo Moth
- Burnsius albezensWhite Checkered-Skipper, Western Checkered Skipper
- Burnsius communisCommon Checkered-Skipper
Show all 40
- Burnsius oileusTropical Checkered-Skipper
- Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
- Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
- Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
- Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Idia lubricalisGlossy Black Idia
- Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
- Meskea dyspterariaWindow-Winged Moth
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
- Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
- Synanthedon geliformisPecan Bark Borer Moth
- Tarache apricaExposed Bird-Dropping Moth
- Tarache delectaDelightful Bird-Dropping Moth
- Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
- Urodus parvulaBumelia Webworm
- Chionodes aruns
- Chionodes hibiscella
- Epiblema numerosana
- Telamoptilia hibiscivora
26BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Hibiscus
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
1Specialist beesPollen specialists
Pollen specialists · Hibiscus
- Ptilothrix bombiformis
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Hibiscus
- Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Flower color
- White, red or pink
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “White, red or pink” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Hardiness · “Zones 5–9” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
- Height · “Up to about 8 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Light · “Sun” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
- Soil · “Wet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
- Spread · “2–3 feet” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Also known as
Crimsoneye Rose Mallow; Muenchhusia moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpa
Conservation status
| Alabama rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | Not available |
| AL status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- Alabama Plant Atlas
- NatureServe Explorer
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

