PlantFiles: Giant Mexican Turk's Cap, Mazapan, Sleeping Waxmallow, Sleeping Hibiscus, Aloalo Pahūpahū
Malvaviscus penduliflorus

We have two of these plants and they will really get huge if you don't cut them back. The birds and squirrels love the blooms and foliage. The squirrels eat the blooms (Surprised me!) and the birds love to hide in the dense foliage. A must have for our garden as we love watching and photographing the wildlife!

I have not grown this plant. Giant Mexican Turk's Cap, Mazapan, Turkscap Mallow, Sleeping Waxmallow, Sleeping Hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus) is native to areas from Mexico through Central America to Columbia. After being introduced in Hawaii, Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico it has become naturalized. It will grow in Zone 8a and 8b; however, it will freeze to the ground after hard freezes to return in the spring. The stems have fairly dense split hairs. The undersides of the leaves of M. penduliflorus are glabrate (smooth); whereas, the underside of the leaves of M. arboreus are pubescent. The serrated leaves are oval or sword shaped, mostly unlobed and 4 to 10 cm long with a pointed tip. The flowers are 2 to 2.5 inches (5 to 6 cm) long with protruding stamen and are humming-bird pollinated. In Hawaii, they are occasionally made into lei Micronesian style (tied or woven into a flat collar), 40-inch (100-cm) lei with each one needing about 90 blooms.