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Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Flower-of-an-hour

Scientific Name: Hibiscus trionum L.

Other Names: ketmie, trilobée, fleur d’une heure, ketmie enflée

Family: Mallow Family (Malvaceae)

General Description: Annual, reproducing only by seed.

Habitat: Occurs only in the south-western part of southern Ontario where it is a frequent weed in row crops, open fields and waste places.

Seedlings

  • Seedling with stem
  • Leaves opposites (2 per node)
  • Cotyledons are orbicular
  • First true leaves are rounded with wavy margins

Stems

  • At first erect but soon much-branched and spreading
  • 30- 50 cm (12- 20 in.) high
  • Rough-hairy

Leaves

  • Alternate (1 per node)
  • Stalks about as long as the blades
  • Blades are deeply 3-parted with each division coarsely lobed

Flowers

  • 2- 4 cm (¾- 1 ½ in.) in diameter
  • Ring of several linear bracts below the calyx
  • Calyx of 5 papery-thin united sepals
  • Coarsely hairy on the prominent, purplish, lengthwise veins
  • Petals are yellowish with dark purplish-brown centre
  • Filaments are united in to a central column
  • Flowers from July to late autumn

Often Confused With
Velvetleaf Seedlings (Flower-of-an-hour is distinguished by its deeply 3-parted lobed leaves, velvetleaf’s are heart-shaped)

Other Mallow species
 flower-of-an-hour flower-of-an-hour leafflower-of-an-hour seedling flower-of-an-hour stem Flower-of-an-hour Flower-of-an-hour
Click to enlarge.