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Swamp Rosemallow

Hibiscus moscheutos

77
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
2–6 feet
Spread
2–5 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 3.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 8 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Summer and fall
Fruiting season
Fall to winter

Recorded in 2 West Virginia counties.

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 83 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (36)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Care

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

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

26CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
Show all 26
  • 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
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Tarache apricaExposed Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Chionodes hibiscella
  • Epiblema numerosana
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 eating Hibiscus in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. 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

Birds that eat Hibiscus 1

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Malvaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Pink, red or white
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Gray-green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Winter

What its natural habitat tells you

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

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Summer and fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Flower color · “Pink, red or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Foliage color · “Gray-green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Fall” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
  • Fruit ends · “Winter” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Species profile fruit display season; not a local ripening date
  • Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 4a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
  • Height · “2–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
  • Spread · “2–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Also known as

Crimsoneye Rose Mallow; Eastern Rose Mallow; Muenchhusia moscheutos subsp. moscheutos

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Growing cautions

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

Sources