Join / Renew / Gift Donate Shop Member Portal Language
Search
npsot_bluebonnet_full_color

Native Plant Society of Texas

Turk's Cap

Malvaviscus arboreus

Other common name(s):

Wax Mallow, Bleeding Hearts, Mexican Apple, Manzanita

Family:

Malvaceae (Mallow Family)

Plant Ecoregion Distribution Map

Leaflet Tiles © Esri — Esri, DeLorme, NAVTEQ, TomTom, Intermap, iPC, USGS, FAO, NPS, NRCAN, GeoBase, Kadaster NL, Ordnance Survey, Esri Japan, METI, Esri China (Hong Kong), and the GIS User Community
East Central Texas Plains, Edwards Plateau, Gulf Coast Prairies and Marshes, Texas Blackland Prairies, Western Gulf Coastal Plain
Bastrop Lost Pines, Floodplains and Low Terraces2, San Antonio Prairie, Southern Post Oak Savanna
Balcones Canyonlands
Coastal Sand Plain, Floodplains and Low Terraces4, Laguna Madre Barrier Island and Coastal Marshes, Lower Rio Grande Alluvial Floodplain, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Mid-Coast Barrier Islands and Coastal Marshes, Northern Humid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies, Texas-Louisiana Coastal Marshes
Floodplains and Low Terraces1, Northern Blackland Prairie, Southern Blackland Prairie
Flatwoods, Floodplains and Low Terraces3, Pleistocene Fluvial Terraces, Red River Bottomlands, Southern Tertiary Uplands

Plant Characteristics

Growth Form

Shrub

Height

2
to
6
ft.

Spread

3
to
5
ft.

Leaf Retention

Deciduous

Lifespan

Perennial

Habitat and Care Requirements

Soil Type(s)

Sand, Clay, Limestone, Well Drained, Moist, Dry

Light Requirement

Sun, Part Shade, Shade

Water Requirement

Low, Medium

Native Habitat

Grassland, Woodland

Bloom and Attraction

Bloom Color

Red

Bloom Season

Summer, Fall

Seasonal Interest

Fruit, Nectar, Pollen, Larval Host

Wildlife Benefit

Butterflies, Birds, Small Mammals, Hummingbirds, Moths

Maintenance

Drought tolerant and grows in a variety of dry to moist soils. Although popular as a shade plant, NPSOT members have reported it growing in full sun with no supplemental water. Forms colonies, but easy to contain by pulling. Propagation: seed, clump division.

Comments

Blooms June-November. Tall, upright form. Leaves are downy-green, heart-shaped to 3-lobed, with broad toothed margins. Bright-red, hibiscus-like flowers never fully open, their petals overlapping to form a loose tube with the stamen protruding – said to resemble a Turkish turban. The fruit is a chambered berry. Larval host: White Skipper.

References

1) Griffith, Bryce, Omernick & Rodgers (2007). Ecoregions of Texas. 2) Miller, George O., Landscaping with Native Plants of Texas 2nd Ed., 2013, pg 48, 53. 3) Wasowski and Wasowski, Native Texas Plants Landscaping Region by Region, 1991, pg. 251. 4) https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=MAARD. 5) http://bonap.net/TDC/Image/Map?taxonType=Species&taxonId=28151&locationType=County&mapType=Normal. 6) https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=21843#null, 7) Native and Adapted Landscape Plants, City of Austin and Texas A&M, 2014., 8) https://rootedin.com/tough-texas-native-plants-for-shade-creating-a-cool-haven-before-the-heat/, 9) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvaviscus_arboreus#:~:text=Texas%20and%20Louisiana.-,Habitat%20and%20ecology,M., 10) https://txmg.org/aransas/turks-cap-my-favorite-native/#:~:text=Turk’s%20Cap%20has%20a%20sweet,plant’s%20leaves%2C%20flowers%20and%20fruit., 11) https://www.ensembletexas.com/turks-cap-malvaviscus-drummondii/#:~:text=of%20the%20flowers.-,Source:%20iNaturalist,Place%20To%20Plant%20Turk’s%20Cap?, 12) https://seedsource.com/turks-cap/
en English es Spanish