''Hibiscus hastatus'' is a large shrub or tree in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

. ''H. hastatus'' is known by its common name of Purau teruere or Tahiti hibiscus. The blossoms of ''H. hastatus'' are pale yellow (occasionally with intermittent pale red petal margins) and a deep red center upon opening. Over the course of the day, the flowers deepen to orange and finally red before they

senesce Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence invol ...

. Leaves are variably 3-lobed with some leaves being more slender and nearly lobeless ('hastatus' refers to the spear-like shape of the leaves). Some references treat ''H. hastatus'' as a

subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

of ''

Hibiscus tiliaceus ''Hibiscus tiliaceus'', commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is a species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zea ...

''. Image:Hibiscus hastatus colors.jpg, ''Flower colors'' Image:Hibiscus hastatus back of flower.jpg, ''Back of flower'' Image:Hibiscus hastatus bark.jpg, ''Bark'' Image:Hibiscus hastatus seed.jpg, ''Seed on leaf''

References

*http://www2.bishopmuseum.org/HBS/botany/cultivatedplants *http://www.agroforestry.net/tti/H.tiliaceus-beach-hibiscus.pdf *https://web.archive.org/web/20080221220926/http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/FACULTY/CARR/page12.htm hastatus {{Hibisceae-stub