Hibiscus syriacus commonly called the rose of Sharon or shrub althea is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The plant is native to south-central and southeast China but widely introduced elsewhere, including much of Asia. The name of the genus comes from the Latin hibiscus, a name utilized by Pliny (23-79) for indicating the Althaea Officinalis, in its turn descending from the Greek ibiskos, referred to some Malvaceae. Specific epithet suggests the plant comes from Syria which appears to be false because it is native to eastern Asia. Common names include Rose mallow, Rose of Sharon, Shrub althaea, Shrubby althaea, Syrian hibiscus, Syrian rose, Syrian ketmia, Althea, Blue Hibiscus, Common Hibiscus, Hardy Hibiscus, Korean rose, and St Joseph’s rod. It is the national flower of South Korea and is mentioned in the South Korean national anthem.

Rose of Sharon isn’t a rose, but its large, flat blossoms and nectar attract hummingbirds and tiny insects. Native to China and India, they have been cultivated as long as records exist.  Chinese used flowers and leaves for food. Thomas Jefferson grew them from seed and was recognized to have planted them at all three of his homes. Flowers on this woody shrub come in several colors, including white, pink, purple, and red. Its leaves don’t come out until late in spring.

Rose of Sharon Facts

Plant Description

Rose of Sharon is an upright and vase-shaped, hardy deciduous shrub that normally grows about 8 to 15 feet tall and spreads 4 to 10 feet. The plant is found growing in sea cliffs, hillsides, along streams, roadsides, around old home sites, along fence rows, along railroad tracks, and in urban woodlands.  The plant thrives on is moist, but well-drained, a mixture of sand, clay, chalk, and loam, maintaining an alkaline, neutral pH (5.5 – 7.0) level. The stem is woody, erect, and has thin light gray bark, branchlets densely pubescent with stellate hairs, becoming glabrous ultimately. Branches are thin and gray, white-lenticels, with raised leaf scars and small buds. Young twigs have a line of curved hairs running the length of the internodes.

Leaves

Leaves are simple, alternate, palmilobed or palpated, broadly ovate-deltoid to rhomboid-ovate, about 4-8 cm long and  2-5 cm across, base cuneate 3-5 veined, midrib usually with obscure nectarines, usually 3 lobed, margins coarsely dentate, apex acute or subacute, with stellate pubescent both above and beneath, ultimately becoming glabrescent, petiole puberulous, about 0.8-2 cm long, stipules subulate-lanceolate, filiform.

Leaf arrangement	Alternate
Leaf type	Simple
Leaf margin	Dentate
Leaf shape	Rhomboid, ovate
Leaf venation	Palmate, pinnate
Leaf type and persistence	Deciduous
Leaf blade length	2 to 4 inches
Leaf color	Green
Fall color	No color change
Fall characteristic	Not showy

Flowers are solitary or in small clusters in the axils of the leaves. Each flower has 7-8 linear stellate pubescent bracts. The calyx is bell-shaped and united for about ½ of its length. Each flower has 5 obovate petals that vary in color from white, red, purple, mauve, violet, or blue, or bicolor with a different colored throat, depending upon the cultivar. In many forms the base of the petals are red, forming an eye in the center of the flower. The numerous stamens are united to the style. The plant can bloom continuously from July through September, usually at night. Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting only a day. The 4 in (10 cm) wide, single- or double-flowering, large-petaled, very showy flowers adorn the plant throughout the summer. With maturity, flexible plant stems become weighted under the load of prolific summer flowers, and bend over halfway to the ground.

Flower color	Red, pink, white/cream/gray, purple, blue, lavender
Flower characteristics	Very showy

Fruit & Seeds

Most modern cultivars are virtually fruitless. The fruits of those that have them are green or brown and are ornamentally unattractive. The fruits are ovoid, pubescent, yellowish, 1.5-2 cm long, capsules, of 1.2 cm of diameter, containing several seeds. They will eventually break over the course of the dormant season and spread their easily germinating seeds around the base of the parent plant, forming colonies with time. These reniform seeds are 2-4 mm long, having a row of long, yellowish-white hairs along the dorsal line. It easily reproduces by seed or by semi-woody cutting at the beginning of summer, if we want to be sure to reproduce a particular variety

Fruit shape	Irregular
Fruit length	0.5 to 1 inch
Fruit covering	Dry or hard
Fruit color	Brown
Fruit characteristics	Does not attract wildlife; not showy; fruit/leaves not a litter problem

History

Hibiscus syriacus has been grown as a garden shrub in Korea since ancient times.  Its leaves were brewed into an herbal tea and its flowers eaten. Later on it was introduced and grown in the gardens of Europe as early as the 16th century, though as late as 1629 John Parkinson thought it was tender and took great precautions with it, thinking it “would not suffer to be uncovered in the Winter time, or yet abroad in the Garden, but kept in a large pot or tube in the house or in a warm cellar, if you would have them to thrive.” By the end of the 17th century, some knew it to be hardy: Gibson, describing Lord Arlington’s London house noted six large earthen pots coddling the “tree hollyhock”, as he called it, “that grows well enough in the ground”. By the 18th century, the shrub was common in English gardens and in the North American colonies, known as Althea frutex and “Syrian ketmia”.

Traditional uses and benefits of Rose of Sharon

• The leaves are diuretic, expectorant, and stomachic.
• Decoction of the flowers is diuretic, ophthalmic, and stomachic.
• It is also used in the treatment of itch and other skin diseases, dizziness, and bloody stools accompanied by much gas.
• Bark consists of several medically active constituents, including mucilage, carotenoids, sesquiterpenes, and anthocyanidins.
• Decoction of the root bark is anti-phlogistic, demulcent, emollient, febrifuge, hemostatic and vermifuge.
• It is used in the treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, abdominal pain, leucorrhoea, dysmenorrhea, and dermatophytosis.
• Dried bark used to get better from the fever and also could make it to antidote that can heal another internal disease.
• According to the Korean herbal medicine book, it also can make to brew which can stop bleeding and reduce thirst when you drink it.

Culinary Uses

• Young leaves can be consumed raw or cooked.
• A very mild flavor, though slightly on the tough side, they make an acceptable addition to the salad bowl.
• Tea is made from leaves or flowers.
• Flowers can be consumed raw or cooked.
• With a mild flavor and mucilaginous texture, they are delightful in salads, both for looking at and for eating.
• The root is edible but very fibrous.

Other Facts

• A low-quality fiber is obtained from the stems.
• It is used for making cordage and paper.
• The seed contains about 25% oil.
• Hair shampoo is made from leaves.
• A blue dye is obtained from the flowers.
• This species is planted as a hedge in S. Europe.
• It is the national flower of South Korea and is mentioned in the South Korean national anthem.
• The national anthem gracefully compares Korea to a Hibiscus flower.
• Hibiscus syriacus is highly tolerant of air pollution, heat, humidity, poor soil and drought.
• Hibiscus flowers are worn by Tahitian and Hawaiian girls – generally behind the ear. If behind the left ear it signifies they are either married or in a relationship – if behind the right ear then it signifies she is available for the next dance.

Diseases on Rose of Sharon plant

• If leaf spots are seen, pick off and destroy the infected leaves.
• If bacterial leaf spot causes problems, pick off and destroy infected leaves.
• Cankers can kill branches or entire plants. Bright, reddish-orange fruiting bodies may appear on the bark. Prune out infected branches.
• Flowers may be infected with a blight caused by a fungus.
• Bud drop can be caused by too much or too little water or over-fertilization.

Stuffed Rose of Sharon

Ingredients

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
• 20 rose of sharon fresh edible flowers (petals only, coarsely chopped)
• herbs, and spices of your choice (optional)

Directions

1. Process cottage cheese in a blender till smooth.
2. Transfer to a nonmetallic bowl.
3. Stir in yogurt and flower petals. Add herbs and seasonings. You can use chopped green onion, fresh basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary, with a dash of Greek seasoning in mine, and loved it!
4. Pipe or spoon the dip into the center of the flower.
5. Garnish with chopped petals.
6. Cover and refrigerate overnight for the best flavor.

Cheese Stuffed Rose of Sharon

Ingredients

For Savory

• 8 Rose of Sharon flowers, pistils and stamens removed
• 1 cup soft, preferably local, cheese
• 2 tablespoons minced chives (or field garlic foliage)
• 1 teaspoon sumac powder
• ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt

For Sweet

• 8 Rose of Sharon flowers, pistils and stamens removed
• 1 cup soft, preferably local, cheese
• 4 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons chopped fruit (juneberries, barberries, blueberries, etc.)

Directions

Savory

1. Combine the cheese, chives, sumac powder, and salt in a bowl. Mix the ingredients with a rubber spatula to blend.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into each Rose of Sharon flower.
3. Arrange on a wood board or appetizer plate and serve. The above quantities will fill 8 flowers. This recipe is scalable.

Sweet

1. Put the above ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until the texture is smooth.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into each Rose of Sharon flower.
3. Arrange on a dessert plate and serve. The above quantities will fill 8 flowers.

 

References

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