When Does Hibiscus mutabilis Bloom? A Detailed Guide to Its Flowering Period
Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as cotton rose, frost-resisting flower, and ground hibiscus, has large and colorful flowers. Since ancient times in China it has mostly been planted in gardens, and can be planted as a solitary specimen or in clumps beside walls, along roadsides, and in front of halls. It is especially suitable for planting along watersides, where when it blooms the shimmering light on the water and the reflections of the flowers set each other off beautifully, making it extraordinarily enchanting. In the cold north it can also be grown in pots for ornamental viewing. Let us take a look below at when Hibiscus mutabilis blooms!
When does Hibiscus mutabilis bloom?
The flowering period of Hibiscus mutabilis is from August to November, varying from place to place depending on the climate. Hibiscus mutabilis generally opens in the morning, and changes into 3 colors within a single day. When the flower first opens in the morning, its color is pure white; around noon it slowly turns light pink; and by evening, when it is about to wither, it turns deep pink. People call this color change of Hibiscus mutabilis "three-drunk cotton rose" and "color-changing cotton rose". But the entire life cycle of the flower is only 1 day: it opens in the morning and withers by evening.
What is the flower language of Hibiscus mutabilis?
Nobility within the ordinary, delicate beauty, chastity, purity, precociousness. The petals of the Hibiscus mutabilis flower are layered one upon another, delicate like a young girl and mature like a noble lady, and after its glory it withers without hesitation, symbolizing a changeable and mature character. Most people born under the blessing of this flower mature relatively early, while the friends around them seem like little children. Therefore, they tend to choose romantic partners older than themselves. However, having a lover who grows together with you is also quite nice.
What are the uses of Hibiscus mutabilis?
1. Economic value: The stem bark of Hibiscus mutabilis contains 39% cellulose. The stem bark fiber is flexible and water-resistant, white and supple, and resistant to water and moisture. It can be used for textiles, making ropes, cables, as a substitute and raw material for hemp-type fibers, and also for papermaking. The ancients also pounded fresh Hibiscus mutabilis flowers into a pulp to dye silk for making curtains, which was the famous "cotton rose curtain".
2. Soil fixation and slope protection: Hibiscus mutabilis plays a very notable role in ecological protection against soil erosion, because it has an intricate root system and also lateral roots that can extend into the soil, thereby continuously increasing the contact area between the roots and the soil, while also greatly increasing the anchoring strength between the roots and the soil, thus helping to enhance slope stability.
3. Air purification: The twigs, leaves, petioles, and calyx of Hibiscus mutabilis are all densely covered with stellate hairs and short soft hairs, which can effectively adsorb solid particulate matter floating in the air, and it also has a certain resistance to SO2, Cl2, and HCl. It is not only an excellent ornamental flowering tree for gardens, but also an ideal tree species for greening and purifying the environment around factories.
4. Ornamental value: Like other garden plants, Hibiscus mutabilis has its own natural growth patterns in its branches, trunk, buds, and leaves, forming different forms across the four seasons. In spring the tips are tender green, in summer the green leaves form shade, in autumn the flowers bloom in clusters, and in winter new vitality is nurtured amid the silence. Throughout the year, each season has its own charm and delight.
5. Edible value: Hibiscus mutabilis flowers can be cooked in soup, soft, smooth, and pleasant to eat, and there are also very many ways to eat them. The petals together with chicken can be made into Hibiscus flower chicken slices; boiled with bamboo shoots they can be made into "snow rosy soup"; with japonica rice they can be cooked into "Hibiscus flower congee"; they can also be mixed with flour, deep-fried in oil, and after frying simmered in soup with soft bone, and so on.
6. Medicinal value: Hibiscus mutabilis can be used as medicine, applied externally in an appropriate amount, with fresh leaves and flowers pounded and applied to the affected area. It has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing swelling and discharging pus, and cooling blood and stopping bleeding. It is used for lung-heat cough, excessive menstruation, and leukorrhea, and externally for treating carbuncles, sores, and boils, mastitis, lymphadenitis, mumps, burns and scalds, venomous snake bites, and traumatic injuries.