| Swamp Rose-mallow | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Hibiscus |
| Species: | H. moscheutos |
| Binomial name | |
| Hibiscus moscheutos Welw. ex Hiern. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Hibiscus moschatus, orth. var.[2] |
|
Hibiscus moscheutos (Swamp-rose Mallow or Rose mallow) is a cold-hardy perennial wetland plant that can grow in large colonies. The hirsute leaves are of variable morphology, but commonly found as deltoidal in form and sometimes having up to three lobes. It is found in wetlands and along the riverine systems of the southeastern United States from Texas to the Atlantic states, its territory extending northward to southern Ontario.
There exists in nature numerous forms and petal colors range from pure white to deep rose, and, except for one genome, all have an eye of deep maroon. Taxonomic consensus is lacking for the nomenclature of the multiple sub-species. The complete flowers are born apically, whereas the related Hibiscus laevis carries bud and bloom along the stem. In Canada it is listed as a species of special concern by the Species at Risk Act.
Propagation can be accomplished by seed sown 0.6 cm (1/4-inch) below media and kept constantly moist, or by crown divisions during winter dormancy, and some success can be achieved by hard-wood stem cuttings. Numerous hybrids of the native North American Hibiscus species have been released by the commercial nursery trade. In cultivation the species or the hybrids can be an attractive addition to a bog garden or other water feature, not only adding visual appeal but also enhancing wildlife value for nectar-feeders and birds.
Many cold-hardy Hibiscus cultivars are hybrids of H. moscheutos, Hibiscus coccineus, Hibiscus laevis, Hibiscus militaris and Hibiscus palustris with indeterminate genetic contributions from each parent species.[3] A number of hardy Hibiscus species will cross with each other. According the botanist Harold F. Winters, those that are compatible include H. coccineus, Hibiscus grandiflorus, H. laevis, Hibiscus lasiocarpos, H. moscheutos, and Hibiscus mutabilis. All are native to the eastern United States except Hibiscus mutabilis, which originated in China.[4] One source of information on these hybrids are Plant Patents. A search of Google Patents for Plant Patents referencing H. moscheutos identifies the ancestry of many popular cultivars of H. moscheutos. On interest is that the ancestry of un-patented but popular cultivars such as Lord Baltimore are identified in the patent of its progeny [http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=KPY8AAAAEBAJ Lady Baltimore. While H. militaris and H. palustris are both referenced in plant patents, H. militaris is now classified as a sub-species of H. laevis and H. palustris is classified as a sub-species of H. moscheutos. Because some plant patents reference the historic species name, they will be used here to facilitate searching.
A careful reading of the plant patents reveals that Hibiscus breeders do not provide extensive details of their breeding strategies which could cover several decades when applying for a plant patent. Generally an outline of the breeding history of the seed and pollen parents and grandparents is provided, together with their breeding objectives, which can be quite useful. Hibiscus breeders do not preclude the possibility of open or self pollination. However, recent research[5] has show that artificial pollination just after the Hibiscus flower has opened using a high pollen load will ensure that most of the resulting seeds are from the selected pollen parent. Early Hibiscus breeders were likely aware of this from their experience with Hibiscus and other flowering plants and used it to their advantage.
Plant Patent Searches by Cold-hardy Hibiscus Species:
Tropical-Hardy Hibiscus Cultivars:
If one searches the plant patents for references to H. rosa-sinensis and any of the North American Hibiscus species, the following results are obtained.
Unfortunately the first thirteen (13) patents from 1994 through 2001 are false positives in that they compare H. rosa-sinensis with the North American Hibiscus species but don’t use H. rosa-sinensis for breeding. The three plant patents issued from 2002 are true hybrids between H. rosa-sinensis, H. moscheutos, H. coccineus and H. laevis and were issued to Fleming's Flower Fields using the trademark TROPICAL-HARDY . In the three plant patents the H. rosa-sinensis hybrids are reported to be cold-hardy to -30°F (-34°C).The next Google Plant Patent search just finds the hybrids registered from 2002.