Cotton rose
Hibiscus mutabilis L.
Phù dung (Hibiscus mutabilis), also called cotton rose or Confederate rose, is a Malvaceae shrub native to southern China; its large flowers open white and deepen to pink and red through the day, and it is grown as both an ornamental and a medicinal plant.
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Gallery
Cotton rose — Medicinal/cultivated plantCotton rose — Flowering plant
Cotton rose — Leaves
Cotton rose — Flower
Cotton rose — Flower close-up (colour change)
Cotton rose — Seed capsule formingCotton rose — Medicinal/cultivated plantCotton rose — Flowering plantLife cycle
From seed to productPlant
A shrub to small tree 2–5 m, much-branched and stellate-hairy.
Leaves
Heart-shaped to palmately 3–7-lobed leaves with toothed margins.
Flower
Large colour-changing flowers: white at dawn, pink by midday, deep red by evening.
Fruit
A flattened, hairy capsule that splits into 5 valves.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- Southern China (native)25%
- East Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan)20%
- Southeast Asia (incl. Vietnam)20%
- South Asia (India, Nepal…)15%
- Other tropical & subtropical regions (introduced)20%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Water78%
- Mucilage8%
- Sugars5%
- Protein3%
- Vitamin C & minerals3%
- Flavonoids & polyphenols3%
Uses
- Landscape: grown as an ornamental in gardens and parks for its large flowers that shift from white to pink to deep red within a day
- Folk medicine: the mucilage-rich leaves and flowers are applied to reduce swellings and treat boils, skin inflammation and minor burns; in China it is a traditional medicinal plant
- Fibre & materials: the bark yields coarse fibre used for cordage and rustic paper
- Culture: in China and Japan the cotton rose is a beloved autumn flower, also called ‘frost-resisting flower’ for blooming late into the frosty season
Properties
- Form
- Shrub/small tree, colour-changing flowers
- Product
- Ornamental; medicine (leaves, flowers); fibre
- Hallmark
- White–pink–red flowers changing through the day; lobed leaves; mallow family
- Uses
- Ornamental, folk medicine, fibre
Habitat & conservation
Cotton rose prefers full sun and a warm, humid climate, tolerating heat and slight salinity; it grows well on rich, well-drained ground, along streams, pond edges and in gardens. Native to southern China; planted across East Asia, Southeast Asia (including Vietnam), South Asia and many tropical and subtropical regions. In Vietnam it is grown as an ornamental in many provinces, flowering from late summer to autumn.
Conservation
Not individually assessed by IUCN but widely cultivated and not threatened; regarded as Least Concern (LC). Mallow family (Malvaceae), genus Hibiscus — the same family as kapok, red silk-cotton and jute.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Hibiscus mutabilis L. — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Hibiscus mutabilis (cotton rose) — description, distribution, uses — Wikipedia tiếng Anh, 2026
- 3Phù dung (Hibiscus mutabilis) — Wikipedia tiếng Việt — Wikipedia tiếng Việt, 2026
- 4木芙蓉 Hibiscus mutabilis — 形态、分布与利用 — Wikipedia tiếng Trung, 2026
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Forest and Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0 US); Yercaud-elango (CC BY-SA 4.0); Sherwin John Carlquist (CC BY 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Mokkie (CC BY-SA 3.0); Forest and Kim Starr (CC BY 3.0 US) — Wikimedia Commons,