States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

Pineland Hibiscus

Sabdariffa aculeata

Found in wet to moist pine savannas, swamp forests, coastal marsh transitions, dry sandy or loamy soils of maritime forest edges. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

80
Keystone

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
June to August
Fruiting season
July to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 30 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Swamps

Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp
Regional / representative. Shown: Southern coastal swamps, Florida to Virginia; state not identified, a neighboring state.Loblolly bay in a coastal swamp, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Freshwater marshes

Georgia pond and emergent wetland
Regional / representative. Shown: Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area, Georgia; representative pond ecosystem, a neighboring state.Georgia pond and emergent wetland, Robert 'Bob' Hynes, 1997. Public domain. Source record.

Pine savannas

Open, fire-kept longleaf pine stands over grasses and wildflowers on wet to moist sandy soil.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

41CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Hibiscus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Alabama argillaceaCotton Moth, Cotton Leafworm Moth, Cotton-Worm 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
Show all 41
  • Burnsius communisCommon Checkered-Skipper
  • 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
  • Halysidota cinctipesFlorida Tussock Moth
  • 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
  • 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 istapaMallow Scrub-Hairstreak, Dotted Hairstreak; Modest Hairstreak, [Columella Hairstreak : former mis-applied name]
  • 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 hibiscella
  • Epiblema numerosana
  • Telamoptilia hibiscivora
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
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
1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Hibiscus

  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Malvaceae
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Spreads by runners
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
September

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Sabdariffa aculeata

Conservation status

Florida rankS4S5
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

  • Spreads by runners. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as stoloniferous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources