Growth
H. syriacus is a flowering shrub in the plant family Malvaceae native to much of Asia, though not, as Linnaeus thought, to Syria, in spite of the name he gave it. It is upright and vase-shaped, reaching 2–4 m in height. It is widely planted in areas with hot summers for its very attractive white, pink, red, lavender, or purple large and edible flowers. Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting only a day. However, numerous flower buds are produced on the shrub's new growth, which provides prolific flowering over a long summer blooming period (July–September). Shoots make interesting indoor vase cuttings, as they stay green for a long time. In the vase some new flowers may open from the more mature flower buds. The species has naturalized very well in many suburban areas, and might even be termed slightly invasive, so frequently does it seed around.
Read more about this topic: Hibiscus Syriacus
Famous quotes containing the word growth:
“The wind of change is blowing through the continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”
—Harold MacMillan (1894–1986)
“Cities force growth and make men talkative and entertaining, but they make them artificial. What possesses interest for us is the natural of each, his constitutional excellence. This is forever a surprise, engaging and lovely; we cannot be satiated with knowing it, and about it; and it is this which the conversation with Nature cherishes and guards.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Although its growth may seem to have been slow, it is to be remembered that it is not a shrub, or plant, to shoot up in the summer and wither in the frosts. The Red Cross is a part of us—it has come to stay—and like the sturdy oak, its spreading branches shall yet encompass and shelter the relief of the nation.”
—Clara Barton (1821–1912)