Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as the Confederate rose, Dixie rosemallow, cotton rose or cotton rosemallow, is a plant long cultivated for its showy flowers.
Confederate roses tend to be a shrubby or treelike perennial plant. Flowers can be double or single and are 4–6 in (10–15 cm) in diameter; they open white or pink and change to deep red by evening. The ‘Rubra’ variety has red flowers. Single blooming flowers are generally cup-shaped. Bloom season usually lasts from summer through fall. Propagation by cuttings root easiest in early spring, but cuttings can be taken at almost any time. When it does not freeze, the Confederate rose can reach heights of 12–15 ft (3.7–4.6 m) with a woody trunk; however, a much bushier plant 5–6 ft (1.5–1.8 m) high is more typical and provides more flowering. These plants have a very fast growth rate.
Color changing property
Hibiscus mutabilis when flowers are white in the morning, turning pink during noon and red in the evening of the same day. Under laboratory conditions, the color change of the petals was slower than that of flowers under outdoor conditions.[5] The temperature may be an important factor affecting the rate of colour change as white flowers kept in the refrigerator remain white until they are taken out to warm, whereupon they slowly turn pink.
