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Hibiscus

Koki‘o

• H. brackenridgei – Ma‘o hau hele
• H. cannabinus – Kenaf
• H. clayi – Hawaiian hibiscus (red)
• H. furcellatus – ‘Akiohala
• H. kokio – Koki‘o ‘ula
• H. militaris - Halberd-leaved rose mallow
• H. moscheutos - Common rose mallow
• H. rosa-sinensis – Chinese hibiscus
• H. tiliaceus – Hau
• H. syriacus – Hibiscus
• H. waimeae – Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o

</table> Hibiscus or rosemallow is a large genus (some 200 species) of flowering plants in the Family Malvaceae. Many of these species are grown for their showy flowers. Many species are used as flowering landscape shrubs. In temperate zones, probably the most commonly grown species for this purpose is Hibiscus syriacus, the common garden Hibiscus, also known in some areas as the "Rose of Althea" or "Rose of Sharon" (not to be confused with the unrelated Hypericum calycinum, also called the "Rose of Sharon").

Economic uses

One species of Hibiscus, known as Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), is extensively used in paper making.

Medicinal uses

Extracts of some hibiscus species are claimed to have health benefits, including prevention of:

• Constipation
• Bladder infections
• Nausea

The studies that yielded these results are debated. An unspecified hibiscus plant is used to make a herbal tea, typically blended with rosehip.

Miscellaneous

Hibiscus syriacus (Mugunghwa or "Rose of Sharon") is the national flower of South Korea, while Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Bunga Raya or "Chinese hibiscus") is the national flower of Malaysia. The ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei) is the state flower of Hawai‘i.

The City of Hibiscus is an alias for the city of Chengdu in China.