Sea hibiscus

• Coast protection: planted in rows as windbreaks and to hold sand and soil along tropical beaches and estuaries; seaside shade tree in parks and streetscapes
• Bark fibre: woven into mats (the Vietnamese name tra lam chieu), rope, baskets, boat caulking; in Samoa and Hawaii traditionally used for kava strainers and lashings
• Cuisine: large young leaves wrap food in place of banana leaves and are cooked in parts of Asia; flowers are edible in Pacific-island salads
• Folk medicine & ecology: flowers and bark used for coughs, fevers, inflammations; light wood for rafts; nectar-rich flowers — a salt-tolerant species for coastal restoration

Form

Evergreen coastal tree

Product

Mats, ropes, woven bark-fibre goods

Hallmark

Day-long yellow-to-red flowers; heart-shaped leaves with 5–7 veins

Uses

Windbreak, shade, bark fibre, folk medicine

The sea hibiscus loves full sun and tolerates salt and strong winds; it grows naturally along seashores, sandy beaches, dunes, the landward edge of mangroves and large tropical riverbanks. In Vietnam it is common along the central coast (Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang, etc.) and the southern shoreline (Phú Quốc, Côn Đảo, etc.), often forming a green windbreak in front of coconut groves and coastal settlements.

A pantropical, widely dispersed species (seeds buoyant at sea) with no conservation threats — classified as Least Concern (LC). Mallow family (Malvaceae), genus Hibiscus — same genus as Chinese hibiscus and changeable rose.