Coastal pantropical small tree with heart-shaped leaves and yellow hibiscus flowers that age through orange to red over a single day. The inner bark is the principal Pacific cordage and rough cloth fibre.
Hardiness ratings
| System | Rating | Temperature range | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| USDA hardiness zone | Zone 10–12 | −1.1 °C to 15.6 °C | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| RHS hardiness rating | H1c | 5 °C to 10 °C | Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance |
| Canadian plant hardiness zone | Zone 9 | −1 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
| Australian (ANBG) zone | Zone 5–7 | 5 °C and warmer | Plant tolerates down to this zone |
Growing notes
- Bast fibre stripped from the inner bark by retting — the standard Polynesian cordage fibre, used for outrigger lashings, fishing nets, sandals, and rough cloth
- Salt tolerant, wind tolerant — natural coastal pioneer across the tropical Pacific, Indian Ocean, and Caribbean
- Flowers open lemon yellow, age through orange to red over a single day, drop at dusk — striking and rapid display
- Frost-tender — strictly tropical and coastal
- Not reliably hardy outdoors in Canada — Canadian zone values shown represent the system maximum and do not imply garden cultivation north of the warmest coastal pockets.
Categories
Related plants
Cross-check Sea hibiscus (Vau) against your zones