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  1. Family: Malvaceae Juss.
    1. Genus: Hibiscus L.

      1. Hibiscus altissimus Hornby

        This species is accepted, and its native range is Mozambique to S. Africa.

    [FZ]

    Malvaceae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:2. 1961

    Habit
    A woody scrambler over bushes; stems nearly 10m. long, aculeate with prickles recurved and swollen at the base, otherwise nearly glabrous or with longitudinal lines or areas of crisped pubescence.
    Leaves
    Leaf-lamina 3–12 × 2–15 cm., ovate to broadly suborbicular in outline, usually nearly glabrous except for prickles on the nerves of the under surface but sometimes fairly densely stellate-pubescent (Pedro & Pedrógão 4057), usually 3–5-lobed (rarely not lobed), lobes acute, margin irregularly serrate, sinuses acute, base 5–7-nerved, midrib (and often the 2 adjacent nerves) with a longitudinal fissure up to 3 mm. long near the base; petiole up to 7·5 cm. long, hairy like the young stems; stipules 6–7 mm. long, acicular or filiform.
    Flowers
    Flowers up to 10 cm. in diam., yellow or terracotta, sometimes with a dark centre, solitary, axillary; peduncle 1–6 cm. long.
    Epicalyx
    Epicalyx of about 7 bracts; bracts c. 15 mm. long, forked, the outer branch somewhat reflexed.
    Calyx
    Calyx 2–3 cm. long; lobes 13–22 × 6–10 mm., lanceolate, acute, joined at the base for 4–10 mm., setose on the midrib and margins, transversely ribbed in fruit.
    Corolla
    Petals up to 6 × 5 cm., obovate.
    Stamens
    Staminal tube c. 14 mm. long; free parts of filaments 0·5–1 mm. long.
    Style
    Style-branches 4–5 mm. long.
    Fruits
    Capsule 20 × 18 mm., densely appressed-setose.
    Seeds
    Seeds 4 × 3 mm., subreniform, with whitish irregularly discoid scales 0·1–0·2 mm. in diam.

    Images

    Distribution

    Native to:

    KwaZulu-Natal, Mozambique, Northern Provinces

    Hibiscus altissimus Hornby appears in other Kew resources:

    Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status
    Jan 1, 1959 Hornby, A. J. W. [4563], Mozambique K000240649 isotype
    Jan 1, 1959 Hornby, A. J. W. [4563] K000240650
    Jan 1, 1959 Hornby, A.J.W. [4563], Mozambique K000240651 isotype

    First published in Proc. & Trans. Rhodesia Sci. Assoc. 41: 55 (1946)

    Accepted by

    • Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern Africa an annotated checklist Strelitzia 14: 1-1231. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
    • Exell, A.W. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1961). Flora Zambesiaca 1(2): 337-581. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

    Literature

    Kew Backbone Distributions
    • Exell, A.W. & Wild, H. (eds.) (1961). Flora Zambesiaca 1(2): 337-581. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

    Sources

    Flora Zambesiaca
    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

    Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
    'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

    Kew Backbone Distributions
    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

    Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2019. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0