PlantFiles: Musk Mallow, Musk Okra, Ornamental Okra, Ambrette, Annual Hibiscus
Abelmoschus moschatus

I have not grown this plant. Abelmoschus moschatus is a naturalized (intorduced) native plant in Puerto Rico and the Hawaiian Islands.

I found this plant growing in my garden a few years ago. I have no idea how it got there but I love it. I agree that the plants are a little gangly but the flowers are gorgeous and there are dozens of them on every plant. It dies every winter but most of the time it reseeds itself. I save seeds every fall just to make sure I don't lose it!

I have grown this plant for years and years. I love the flowers.....it is so vibrant and showy. I grow them in the garden bed and also in pots. They come back every year and when they are blooming they really show off and put on a show.
Just about every flower that blooms makes a seed pod. I collect everyone and just keep putting the seeds down and letting them go wild. It is a sight to see.

From ten-year-old seed, soaked overnight, one plant came through. In the Dallas area, it is planted in full sun, blooming regularly and adding interest to my flower bed. The seeds are some I found when I moved things from my godmother's house a few years ago. Don't know why I kept them except she loved the plants and kept seed from year to year. When she got the original plant from a nursery it was labeled "Silk Flower" and that's what I thought its name was until I saw this post! I will definitely save seed and have more next year interspersed throughout my beds!

I have one of these that re-seeds vigorously. Easy to grow - the leaves are weed-like and the blooms are rather small, but still a nice plant.

The musk mallow appears to grow beautifully on the West Coast. Its pink-purple cups are delicate, and although some find its lobed leaves "weedy", I see the green heart/kidney shape of the leaves as interestingly echoing the shape of the flowers. This year, my first growing the musk mallow, flowers began to bloom in July and are, incredibly, still blooming (early November). I found that the seeds germinated very slowly (from 2 to 6 weeks, beginning in May outdoors), but once established the plants flourished with minimum care.

Not pretty foliage while plant is growing... kind of gangly and weed-like. The blooms are its redeeming quality. Lots and lots of them and the blooming period is quite long (4 or more weeks).

Abelmoschus moschatus is a fairly long-lived perennial, often grown as an annual in colder regions. It's known as the "musk mallow" for it's scented seeds/seedoils. Abelmoschus manihot (very similar to okra, but with a VERY hairy, prickly pod) is possibly edible when young and green, but I wouldn't recommend eating it whole like okra - stripping out the green seed, however may be OK.

Not a hardy shrub, can only grow be grown outdoors in frost-free climates. You may have success by cutting the plant back in the fall and covering with a generous application of mulch.