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Flower-of-an-hour

Hibiscus trionum

Found in fields, roadsides, railroad yards, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
4–24 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
June to September

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 44 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

33CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Hibiscus

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
  • Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Burnsius communisCommon Checkered-Skipper
  • Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
Show all 33
  • 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
  • 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 ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • 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)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Malvaceae

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “June to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Height · “4–24 inches” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · Minnesota Wildflowers
  • Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Flower of an Hour; Venice Mallow

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources