Family: Malvaceae
Common name: Confederate rose, Cotton rose, Cotton rosemallow, Dixie rosemallow
Cotton rose used to be seen very commonly in Kerala a few years ago, but not anymore. In fact, it took many years for me to find a good plant to photograph. These beautiful and unique plant with color-changing flowers should definitely be brought back into home gardens.
Plant characteristics
The fancier cousin of Hibiscus Rosa-sinensis, this shrubby plant grows to about 4 meters with a dark brown or gray bark. Leaves of Cotton rose are bright gree, broad, ovate, and glossy. They are 10-15 cm long, lobed with a serrated margin.
The most interesting feature of this plant is the color-changing flowers. Flowers bloom pure white in the morning, turns pink around noon, and deep pink/red in the evening. This is considered to be due to temperature variations.
Flowers are large compared to normal Hibiscus, about 12-15 cm in diameter with thin, tissue-like petals in many layers. Stamens are visible within the folds of the delicate, beautiful petals.
These plants do not bloom very profusely like normal Hibiscus plants, but the beautiful color-changing flowers ensure that the plant has flowers of different colors on it.
Flowering season is through spring and summer, with short-lived flowers that only last a day or two.
After pollination by bees or butterflies, these flowers produce small dry capsules that contain round and hairy seeds, though fruiting is not very common in house plants.
Gardening tips
Good sunlight is very important for Cotton rose plants since the color changes in the flowers happen due to temperature variations. These color changes are not very pronounced in indoor plants.
Regular watering is needed when the plant is small, and also during summer months. Fertilization with a well-balanced NPK fertilizer can help improve the blooming period and the number of flowers.
Pruning can be done to keep the plant compact and well-rounded. Like most Hibiscus plants, Cotton roses are susceptible to aphids, mealy bugs, and fungus infections, which can be treated with neem oil or organic pesticide sprays.
Uses of Cotton Rose
In modern times, these plants are mostly grown as ornamentals. But in traditional herbal medicine, they were used in the treatment of pain, inflammation, wounds, skin diseases, chest congestion, cough, vomiting, and excessive bleeding.
Fiber obtained from the bark is quite strong and is used for making ropes. Extracts from the flower are used in cosmetic preparations.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds and stem cuttings. Since most home plants do not produce fruits or seeds, stem cuttings is the more reliable method.
Semi-hardwood cuttings taken from mature plants can be planted in moist soil, after dipping their ends in a rooting hormone.
Photographed at: Thrissur, Kerala.
