Mistaken Identity

I briefly mentioned in a 2018 blog that, thanks to a tip from one of my blog readers, I realized that a plant had been misidentified. Comfortroot, or Hibiscus aculeatus, is a perennial native to southeastern Georgia where it grows in wet and mesic pine flatwoods, and edges of savannas, bogs, and ditches. In the past, I have enjoyed seeing it in wet ditches along Highway 16 near Savannah on the way home from a beach trip. Also called pineland hibiscus and prickly rose mallow, the species name aculeatus means 'prickly' and the stems and leaves are harshly scabrous and covered with prickly hairs.

Several friends in the metro Atlanta area grew this and shared plants and seeds. Even the Georgia Native Plant Society grew it and sold it at plant sales. Until we realized in 2018 that it was the wrong plant and were instead growing Abelmoschus manihot, a very similar looking plant. Often called sunset muskmallow or sunset hibiscus, it is more closely related to okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) and is not native to the US.

With similar flowers and similarly-lobed leaves, you can see how one can be confused. While the color of the bloom is a bit more yellow on the sunset muskmallow compared to the creamy color of the comfortroot, it is the crimson-colored stamen column that distinguishes the comfortroot. The sunset muskmallow has a yellow stamen column. Both plants have a crimson stigma at the tip.

As I wrote in 2018, I am now growing the correct species but I hope to help correct the mistaken identity of what we grew before and realized this week that not all my plant friends had heard of the mistake. My new plants came from the Chattahoochee Nature Center which is always a great source of Georgia native plants during spring and fall plant sales. Last year I thoroughly enjoyed watching bumble bees enjoy my new plant. It’s not yet blooming here, but I look forward to another show this year.

Bee on Hibiscus aculeatus