Hibiscus moscheutos var incanus
Florida plantsman, Alani Davis, shared this little known form of the widespread US native Hibiscus moscheutos that hails from Lake Iamonia in Leon County, Florida. In our garden, Hibiscus moscheutos var. incanus has been so impressive that we simply had to share it with others. The 5′ tall stalks are clothed with velvety silver leaves and topped all summer with funnel-shaped white flowers, each highlighted with a maroon throat. Because of the leaf hairs, hibiscus sawfly larvae haven’t touched it. Despite its wetland heritage, we grow it on a dry, non-irrigated, sandy bank where it thrives. Taxonomists who synonymize this with typical Hibiscus moscheutos have simply been sniffing too many herbarium mothballs.
