Botanical name: Hibiscus syriacus    Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)

Rose of Sharon isn't a rose, but its large, flat blossoms and nectar attract hummingbirds and tiny insects. It is a hardy deciduous shrub, 7-13 feet in height, bearing large trumpet-shaped flowers with prominent yellow-tipped white stamens. The flowers are often pink in color, but can also be dark pink (almost purple), light pink or white. Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting only a day. However, numerous buds produced on the shrub's new growth provide prolific flowering over a long summer blooming period. The Chinese used the flowers and leaves for food. The flowers come in several colors, including white, pink, purple, and red. Several kinds have dark-colored centers in the flowers, and single-flowering types are quite common. Leaves are palmately 3-lobed, about 7 cm across. Native to China, they have been cultivated as long as records exist. Also known as Korean Rose, it is the national flower of South Korea. It has become naturlized in many places.

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The flower labeled Rose of Sharon is ...