Beach yellow Hibiscus, Pacific rosewood, Northern Cottonwood
Thespesia populneoides

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It has several stems. It is 5-6 m high. The leaves are alternate and smooth. They are heart-shaped. The blade is 6-13.5 cm long by 7.5-13 cm wide. The leaf is dark green on the upper surface and has rust coloured scales on a paler green underneath. The leaf stalk is 10 cm long. The flowers are large and yellow. They have a purple centre. The flower is 7 cm across by 10 cm long. They occur singly on long stalks in the axils of leaves. The fruit are smooth round leathery or woody capsules. They are 3-4.5 cm across. They are brown when ripe. They contain several small round seeds.

This plant has been confused with Thespesia populnea. This one has different shaped leaf bases and fruit stalks which are short and bend. See Wheeler p 232

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows naturally on stabilised sand dunes near the beach. It can grow in sand or in heavy wet swampy clays.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Asia, Australia, Burkina Faso, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, SE Asia, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves, flowers and buds are eaten raw or cooked.

Edible parts

Flowers, leaves, fruit, buds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Hibiscus populneoides Roxb.; Tespesia howii Hu; Thespesia banalo Blanco; Thespesia populnea var. populneoides (Roxb.) Pierre;