Please Identify

This is a tropical that I have grown for almost 30 years. It started as a cutting that I rooted in soil.
I'm on my 4th or 5th generation now.
I know it is a common variety but don't know which. The flower is about 5 inches wide.
Thanks
Andy P

Your hibiscus looks like a variety of Hibiscus Rosa-sinenis called "Kona." Here in Southern California, Kona is a sturdy shrub that gets 6 to 10 feet (or more) in height.

Lorien4, Thanks.
It sure is 'sturdy'!
Even with yearly severe Spring prunings, they get too big for me in about 20 years.
"Kona" - thanks again.
Andy P

Kona is also known with the name "Pride of Hankins" and it's one of the best varieties used as rootstock when a hybrid needs to be grafted onto it.
Other garden varieties used as rootstock are President and H. Albo Lacinatus.

Regards

Carlos

Carlos, I didn't know that grafting was an option for Hibiscus. Might be an interesting project to graft a few different colors on one.
Andy P

Andy P I took a grafting class and always fantasized about grafting to create a crape myrtle with different color blooms. It's easy but I've not gotten around to it. People around here do it all the time w/pecans and citruses. Hibiscus would be a great candidate for this kind of fun.

This reminds me of a story about a crape myrtle at our arboretum which had red, pink and white blooms. Somebody "helped" themselves to a cutting, hoping to be able to grow his/her own multi-colored crape myrtle...Naturally, it was one of the grafts.

This message was edited Jan 18, 2006 10:06 AM

Andy P, here you have some links with very graphical tutorials about grafting hibiscus:
http://ljohnson975.photosite.com/album5grafting/
http://ljohnson975.photosite.com/TheSideGraft-view/
http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/hibiscus/hibiscus/Grafting/grafting.htm
http://www.hibiscusworld.com/graft/graft.htm

Regards

Carlos

Carlos, Thanks. I've seen it done on fruit trees but never thought of ornamentals.
Andy P

This one keeps blooming. Every day, 2 or 3 flowers. Last weekend I played with the camera.
Here is a shot.
Andy P

Here is another close-up.
Andy P

Here is the same plant blooming today. Notice this flower has 5 pistil/stamen doodads.
About a third of the flowers are like this.
Wish they were fragrant.
Andy P