Quercus

Swamp Rosemallow

Hibiscus moscheutos

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Care

  • Keep the soil from drying out.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

36CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Hibiscus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Burnsius albezensWhite Checkered-Skipper, Western Checkered Skipper
  • Burnsius communisCommon Checkered-Skipper
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Show all 36
  • 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 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)

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Malvaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5–9
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Gray-green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Crimsoneye Rose Mallow; Eastern Rose Mallow

Conservation status

South Carolina rankNot available
Global rankG5
SC statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources