Hibiscus History
The Mystery of Hibiscus liliiflorus ~ 1700's
Hibiscus History Continues...
Where our gorgeous, modern, exotic hibiscus came from is a fascinating story in many ways, but one that is partially obscured by the mists of time and the introduction of errors, well intended though they may be. The story goes back at least 300 years, depending on where one wants to start, and of course during much of that time there were no cameras to take precise photos, and communication between botanists was very slow and uncertain. We rely mostly on the Latin language taxonomies for the earliest records, and try to interpret what they describe by what we see growing in front of us today. Drawings that appeared in early botanical magazines also help us figure out what was what during the early days.
Hibiscus liliiflorus is one of the important species of hibiscus that contributed to the genes in today's modern hybrids. One would think that this species is well known and documented, and that there would be no doubt as to what plants alive today are Hibiscus liliiflorus. Surprisingly, that assumption turns out to be wrong. There now exists doubt about which specimens of hibiscus really are H. liliiflorus. How did this happen? What is the evidence that we have to go by?
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← Is H.liliiflorus this pink flower
or this orange flower? →
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![]() Drawing of Hibiscus liliiflorus from Loddiges Botanical Cabinet, 1819 |
![]() Hibiscus liliiflorus from Sakuya Konohana Kan The Great Conservatory Osaka, Japan |
![]() Hibiscus liliiflorus from Sakuya Konohana Kan The Great Conservatory Osaka, Japan |
An early description of H. liliiflorus that confirms the bright pink color is found in the Floricultural Cabinet and Florists Magazine published by Whitaker & Co. in 1834.
"Hibiscus Liliiflorus, Lily-Flowered Hibiscus Malvaceae. This elegant plant, of which there are many varieties, was introduced a few years since by Mr. Barclay. It is necessary to preserve it in the stove; it grows freely, and flowers during the summer. The flowers are of a bright rosy lilac; it is necessary to preserve it in the stove, as it is a native of the Mauritius."
So, why are we making such a point of the historical descriptions of H. liliiflorus? This is because back on Rodriques Island, one of the Mascarene Islands off the east coast of Africa where H. liliiflorus once grew naturally, an effort is well underway to repopulate the island with the extinct or near-extinct H. liliiflorus. Articles have been published about this effort and one such has spread around the hibiscus community in recent days. But isn't that a good thing? Maybe not. All these efforts are focused on a plant that is described by Ross McKinnon, Curator of the Brisband Botanic Gardens (May/June 2000), as "covered in the most exquisite orange flowers". This sounds more like the related hibiscus species H. boryanus or some unknown plant that may be a hybrid rather than the "bright rosy lilac" colored flower that we believe to be H. liliiflorus based largely on the sources described above.
Also of interest is that McKinnon's article described H. liliiflorus as having orange flowers, citing "Barker, 1877" [sic] as the source for his description of H. liliiflorus. However, we consulted the Baker (not Barker) publication from 1877, Flora of Mauritius and the Seychelles. It described H. liliiflorus as "Corolla (Latin for flower petals) large, funnel-shaped, bright red." No mention of an orange flower in the very source cited by these well intentioned explorers and conservators.
![]() Hibiscus genevii |
![]() Hibiscus fragilis |
![]() Hibiscus boryanus |
![]() Drawing from Kew Gardens labeled H. liliiflorus |
We are not in a position to prove one way or the other the "real" identification of H. liliiflorus or the other hibiscus species plants that originated on the Mascarene Islands. After extensive research and in consultation with international sources, we have concluded that the best evidence points to H. liliiflorus as being bright pink-flowered, H. fragilis being bright red flowered, H. genevii being very light lilac flowered, and H. boryanus being orange-flowered. Unless and until better information emerges (see next article on genetics of hibiscus), we will continue to identify the ancestral hibiscus species as described above and as seen in photos on the HVH website.
![]() Orange flower called H. liliiflorus by some |
And finally, just for fun, here is an interesting story that we found on Gil Bujunda's website, Hibiscus & Malvacae. It demonstrates the difficulties we have in sorting out the truth about the original hibiscus species that are the ancestors of today's hybrids.
In the late 1970s, botanists had shown interest in a rare tree hibiscus (Hibiscus liliiflorus) growing on top of the highest mountain on Rodrigues. When Gerald Durrell went out to make a film, he discovered that it was being eaten up by goats. Money was given to fence it off from the goats, and forestry department workers were sent out to put up the fence. When the workers realized that they didn't have enough fencing to go around the entire plant, they chopped off one of its large branches to make the hibiscus fit inside the fence. "They didn't quite get it," Wendy laments, shaking her head. "I saw the hibiscus in 1982, just after it had died." She was given new hope, however, when she learned that a cutting taken from the plant had survived and was growing in a Catholic priest's home on the island. "Again, when the plant was fenced, people went up and began taking bits of bark, branches, and also leaving money and putting little candles on the tree," she recalls. "It became another magic tree. In 1982, when she went up with a forester to take a cutting, only remnants of the hibiscus remained, its fate sealed with wax from the candles placed on it and burnt in its honor. She stood there, staring at the remains, realizing nothing more could he done for it. As she contemplated the dead plant, the forester climbed over the fence and began picking up the change strewn around it. Then she recognized the second tragedy: "People were still throwing money in - these were poor people; they didn't have 'loose change' to spare.
Watching, from the Edge of Extinction
By Beverly Peterson Stearns
Published by Yale University Press, 2000