Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Digital Library

Description

Desert hibiscus is a weak-stemmed, sparsely-branched shrub to 3 feet (1 m) tall. The upper leaves are 3-lobed. Showy flowers almost 2 inches (5 cm) wide are light yellow with a purple spot on each of the 5 petals. They bloom nearly year round in response to rain. Plants are difficult to find when not in flower because they nearly always grow among other shrubs for support.

Range

It occurs from near Tucson to western Texas and northern Mexico.

The mallows number about 1500 species worldwide; most are characterized by alternate, simple, palmate leaves with stellate (branched, star-shaped) hairs. Mallow flowers are easily recognized by the filaments, which are united into a tube surrounding the style. Familiar examples include hibiscus, cotton, okra, and hollyhock.