Hibiscus: A Confederate Rose In A Yankee Garden, 1 by Michael_Ronayne

Michael_Ronayne wrote:
Beginning in 2005 there has been a long running thread on the Hibiscus Forum which discusses Hibiscus mutabilis.

This was too die for, a must must must have
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/546774/

In the fall of 2009 this thread became active again and there were a number of discussions on the various cultivars of Hibiscus mutabilis including Singles, Doubles and a new mutation known as Alma’s Star.

Alma's Star
http://www.southerngrowers.com/alma's_star.htm

Alma’s Start was originally rated to Zone 6 as the following plant tag shows but in 2011 the grower changed the rating it to Zone 7 but indicated that it could survive in colder Zones with protection.

Alma’s Star Plant Tag From 2009
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=7205078

In the fall of 2009 I purchase Hibiscus mutabilis Doubles and Hibiscus mutabilis Alma’s Star. Through the winter of 2009-2010 I managed to keep these Hibiscus alive indoors under artificial light in spite of multiple whitefly and black-fly infestations. In the spring of 2010 I planted three Hibiscus mutabilis Doubles and one Hibiscus mutabilis Alma’s Star outside in a location with good southern exposure. All through the summer I battled whiteflies which found all Hibiscus mutabilis quite tasty resulting in large holes in the leaves. The only effective treatment was Bayer’s Imidacloprid based products. Forget about the once a year treatment recommended by the manufacture, because Hibiscus are fast growing the new leaves will not be protected unless you treat Hibiscus mutabilis monthly during the growing season.

By late October 2010 all four Hibiscus mutabilis reached a height of four feet and Alma’s Star actually started forming small buds with a hint of red but it was too late, killer frosts arrived and all four Hibiscus mutabilis began to wilt from the cold. I covered the four Hibiscus with a foot of salt hay for protection and hoped for the best. During the winter of 2010-2011 northern New Jersey was snow covered all the time and we had to dump shoveled snow into the garden areas with reached depths of 5 feet.

In the spring of 2011 all four Hibiscus mutabilis at first appeared dead but then Alma’s Star began to re-grow from the roots and now stands at a height of over 7 feet. By July I have given up on the three Hibiscus mutabilis Doubles when the largest plant surprised me and sent up and a few shoots which now stand at 3 feet. I many take some cuttings but I don’t know if this Hibiscus will make it through the next winter even with protection.

By early October Alma’s Star had begun to develop large buds which show their red color early. Alma’s Star is a chimera stem mutation where each bud contains five flowers. Alma’s Star was assigned plant patent PP21383 which is available here.

Hibiscus plant named ‘Alma's Star’ (PP21383)
http://www.google.com/patents?id=fHvXAAAAEBAJ

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following represent the distinguishing characteristics of the new Hibiscus cultivar 'Alma's Star'. The distinguishing feature of 'Alma's Star' is its unusual bloom. 'Alma's Star' exhibits buds of unusual size at the tips of its flowering stalks. These buds open up to present a flower that is a bundle of five distinct flowers, four outer and a central cluster that produce a bundle similar to a quartered rose.

The botanical description of Alma’s Star contains some useful information but the reference to Hibiscus moscheutos is irrelevant and the claim of “natural root graftings” is frankly impossible and may have been added to embellish the patent which is unnecessary because such natural mutations are fully covered under US plant patent law.

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PLANT

The new cultivar is a product of an effort by the inventor to propagate garden variety Hibiscus mutabilis, in Alabama, United States of America. The objective was to restock the garden with new plants without going through seed harvesting. The new cultivar developed when natural root graftings, of rooted stalk cuttings from a Rose mallow Hibiscus moscheutos and a Confederate rose, Hibiscus mutabilis, were planted together. Two mutated "sports" (mutated sprouts) appeared and produced unique pink flowers, each containing four or five small and separate flowers, which were sterile and produced no viable seed. The new cultivar, 'Alma's Star', was discovered and selected by the inventor in 1997 in a cultivated area in Ala., United States of America. Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar, by top cuttings, stem cuttings and divisions in Alabama, United States of America, has shown that the unique features of this new Hibiscus cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

These descriptions, reported in the gardening press, are much more plausible and believable.

ALMA's STAR: A Confederate Rose By Any Other Name Takes Its Place In The Sun
http://www.alfafarmers.org/neighbors/neighborsStory.phtml?id...

Master Gardener Alma Bodiford Registers New Variety of Confederate Rose
http://www.alafarmnews.com/1206archive/1206bodiford.htm

Here is the original application for the plant patent, note where the changes were made; very sloppy lawyering and quite unnecessary.

Application For: Hibiscus plant named Alma's Star
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=Zz3IAAAAEBAJ

For me the most disheartening statement in the patent is “each containing four or five small and separate flowers, which were sterile and produced no viable seed”. If Alma’s Start is both pod and pollen sterile it is a very interesting Hibiscus but a genetic dead-end. I will be checking the flowers with care until first frost to see if there are any genetic loopholes.

The Alma’s Star in my garden now stands at over 7 feet in height. The buds which had begun to form in early October bloomed for the first time on Friday October 21, 2011 and the attached picture was taken on Saturday October 22, 2011. Until we get our fist killer frost I will continue to photograph and post pictures of Alma’s Star. It is starting to look like the flowers of Alma’s Star can last for many days. In New Jersey all of my native and non-native Hibiscus are going dormant and this rebel for the Southland is a most welcome guest before enviable return of the snows. The good news for gardeners in Zone 6 or warmer is that this Confederate Rose just might survive in a Yankee garden.

Mike