Hibiscus bifurcatus Cav.

Suffrutex herb or shrub up to 4 m high, the stem stellate-puberulus or stellate-hirtellous (mostly along longitudinal lines) and aculeolate, the prickles pustular-based and pointed downwards. Leaves with the petioles slender, up to 10 cm long, stellate-hirtellous and aculeolate, the stipules linear-subulate; blade cordate at the base, 3(-5)-lobed mostly to below the middle (at least the lower leaves), the lobes ovate to narrowly ovate, the sinuses acute and the apex acuminate, the blade of the upper leaves sometimes sub-3-lobed to simple and obtuse at the base, dentate-serrate at the margin, up to 12 cm long, 5-to 7-palminerved, hirtellous with simple and stellate hairs on both surfaces, the venation slightly prominent beneath, the main veins generally shortly aculeolate and the midvein with a small, basal, elongate gland on the lower surface. Flowers solitary in the upper leaf axils, the pedicel articulated, 2-7 cm long, stellate-hirtellous and aculeolate or hispid; epicalyx oif 9-13 bractlets, these linear, unequally bifurcate at the apex, ca 2 cm long, hirsute to hispid with pustular-based hairs, slightly accrescent; calyx lobed to the middle or slightly below, (1-) 1.4-1.8 cm long, accrescent and up to 2.3 cm long in fruit, hirsute to hispid with pustular-based hairs, the lobes deltoid, acumi-nate, prominently 3-nerved, the lateral veins very close to the margin (thickened margin), the midvein of each lobe with an oblong gland; petals cuneate-obovate, rounded at the apex, (5-)7-9 cm long, rose, sometimes purple-striate; staminal tube about V2 as long as (to more or less equalling?) the corolla, antheriferous throughout; style branches exceeding the staminal tube, the stigmas hirtellous. Capsule surrounded by and slightly shorter than the accrescent calyx, broadly ovoid, acuminate and mucronulate, ca 2-2.2 cm long, the mucro ca 2 mm long, the valves rigid-chartaceous, appressed-sericeous; seeds angulate, 3-4 mm long, sparsely and very minutely papillate.

Swamps in forests. Mostly in open swamps or marshes, often along or near the seashore; at elevations up to 1,400 metres.

The leaves are cooked and eaten. The sap is used to clarify sugar.

Can be grown by seedlings. Seeds needs soaking.