What is the difference between rose of Sharon and Chinese hibiscus? A quick guide to tell them apart

Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) and rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) are both plants of the genus Hibiscus in the mallow family. Because their flowers are quite bright and colorful, and they bloom continuously during the growing season with a fairly long flowering period, they were regarded as excellent flowering plants long ago and grown in pots and used for courtyard landscaping. So what exactly is the difference between Chinese hibiscus and rose of Sharon?

First, let us look at their morphology. The Chinese hibiscus is an evergreen or semi-evergreen flowering plant. Its leaves look very much like mulberry leaves, rather round with serrated edges, and have fairly long petioles. Trumpet-shaped flowers grow from the leaf axils, and there are single-flowered and double-flowered types. The flowers are large, usually between 15 and 20 cm. The flowers also have long stalks, and the pistil is very long, growing beyond the corolla. The flower colors are often bright red, pink, orange-yellow, cream-yellow and so on. The branches are fairly upright and much branched, and sometimes more spreading due to lighting conditions. The leaves are alternate, 7 to 10 cm long, with entire margins at the tip and base. The flowering period is from May to October.

The Chinese hibiscus is a light-loving flowering plant that prefers warmth and humidity. During the growing season it requires a sunny growing environment. It tolerates pruning, but not drought, cold or shade. In northern regions, it should mainly be grown in pots. The overwintering temperature is between 10 and 15°C, and must not go below 5°C; when the temperature is below 5°C, a large number of leaves will turn yellow and drop. Below 0°C it is prone to cold damage. The Chinese hibiscus is a plant with very strong sprouting ability and is very tolerant of pruning. As for soil, slightly acidic soil is best, and it will grow well at a pH of around 6.5 to 7.

The rose of Sharon is a deciduous shrub or small tree, much branched, with strongly upright branches. The branches are grayish-brown, and the leaves are rather small, diamond-shaped or triangular-round, with wavy teeth of varying depth. The petioles are relatively short. The flowers are short funnel-shaped, with double-flowered and single-flowered types. The flower stalks are also very short, the stamens are hidden inside the center of the flower, and the corolla is about 8 to 10 cm. The flower colors include white, pink, light purple, light red, purple-red and some bicolor flowers. The flowering period is from June to September.

The rose of Sharon is relatively drought-tolerant, tolerant of poor soil, tolerant of pruning and tolerant of severe cold. It is not demanding about soil and is highly adaptable. In most regions it is mainly used as a landscaping tree planted in the ground, and is generally not used as a potted plant.

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