''Hibiscus mutabilis'', also known as the Confederate rose, Dixie rosemallow, cotton rose or cotton rosemallow, is a plant long cultivated for its showy flowers. Originally native to southern China and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

, it is now found on all continents except

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest cont ...

. Confederate roses tend to be shrubby or treelike in zones 9 and 10, though they behave more like

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...

s further north. Flowers can be double or single and are in diameter; they open white or pink, and change to deep red by evening. The 'Rubra' variety has red flowers. Single blooming flowers are generally cup-shaped. Bloom season usually lasts from summer through fall. Propagation by cuttings root easiest in early spring, but cuttings can be taken at almost any time. When it does not freeze, the Confederate rose can reach heights of with a woody trunk; however, a much bushier plant high is more typical and provides more flowering. These plants have a very fast growth rate. The Confederate rose was at one time very common in the area of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

, which is how its common name was derived. It grows well in full sun or partial shade, and prefers rich, well-drained soil. The flowers are attractive to

pollinators A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the maj ...

, including the specialized bee '' Ptilothrix bombiformis.'' Hibiscus mutabilis, changing colors

In cultivation in the UK, ''Hibiscus mutabilis'' has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...

's Award of Garden Merit.

Floral color change

Floral color change Floral color change occurs in flowers in a wide range of angiosperm taxa that undergo a color change associated with their age, or after successful pollination. History The first written record of the term ''floral color change'' was in 1877 wh ...

occurs in ''H. mutabilis'' when flowers are white in the morning, turning pink during noon and red in the evening of the same day. Under laboratory conditions, the color change of the

petals Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usually ...

was slower than that of flowers under outdoor conditions. Temperature may be an important factor affecting the rate of colour change as white flowers kept in the refrigerator remain white until they are taken out to warm, whereupon they slowly turn pink. The red flowers remain on plants for several days before they abort. Weight of a single detached flower was when white, when pink and when red. Anthocyanin content of red flowers was three times that of pink flowers and eight times that of white flowers. There was a significant increase in phenolic content with color change. Overall ranking of antioxidant properties of ''H. mutabilis'' flowers was red > pink > white. Subramanian and Nair postulated that anthocyanins in pink and red flowers of ''H. mutabilis'' are synthesized independently since there is no reduction in phenolic content. However, Lowry suggested that anthocyanins are formed through direct conversion from

flavonols Flavonols are a class of flavonoids that have the 3-hydroxyflavone backbone (IUPAC name : 3-hydroxy-2-phenylchromen-4-one). Their diversity stems from the different positions of the phenolic -OH groups. They are distinct from flavanols (with ...

as they have structural similarities.

References

{{Authority control mutabilis Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus