Flora of North America species comparison

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Lagunaria patersonia

cow itch tree, Norfolk Island hibiscus
Habit Plants 2–10(–15) m. Leaves short-petiolate; petiole 1 cm; blade olive green, pinnately-veined, 5–10 cm, somewhat thick and leathery, apex blunt, densely felty stellate-hairy abaxially, peltate scales also present.
Inflorescences

1+ per branch, usually produced over a short time period;

peduncle short, thick;

involucellar bractlets enclosing flower in bud, wide at base.
Flowers

3.5–8 cm diam.;

calyx connate, lobes very short;

petals showy, reflexed, waxy-textured;

staminal column with anthers throughout;

stigmas with 5 radiating blunt lobes.
Capsules

4 × 2 cm before opening, apex rounded to acute, walls persistent, firm.
Seeds

bright orange when fresh, smooth.

Lagunaria patersonia
Phenology Flowering late spring–summer.
Habitat Riparian forests, estuaries
Elevation 0–10 m (0–0 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; Pacific Islands (Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island); e Australia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Lagunaria patersonia is widely cultivated but apparently only recently naturalized in San Diego County; it is salt tolerant.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 6, p. 276.
Parent taxa Malvaceae > subfam. Malvoideae > Lagunaria
Synonyms Hibiscus patersonius
Name authority (Andrews) G. Don: Gen. Hist. 1: 485. (1831)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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