Ornatec InternationalSpecies reference sheet ยท ornatecinternational.com
Malvaviscus arboreus
Turk's Cap
Malvaviscus arboreus flowers like a hibiscus that never quite opens. Turk's Cap carries bright red pendent flowers whose petals stay furled around a projecting staminal column, and it produces them almost continuously through the warm season on a soft, broad-leaved shrub from the American tropics.
It flowers in shade, which most red-flowering shrubs will not do, and that makes it valuable under canopy trees and along the shaded side of a building.
Specifications
- Height1 to 3 metres, reaching 4 metres in the wet tropics
- Width1 to 2.5 metres
- Native toThe Americas, from Mexico and the Caribbean through Central and South America
- FoliageBroad, softly hairy, three-lobed mid-green leaves; evergreen in frost-free conditions
- Growth rateFast
Conditions
- SoilPrefers fertile, free-draining soils and adapts to a range of conditions
- LightFull sun to partial shade, flowering well in either
- WaterModerate; regular through the warm months
- ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions
Additional Features
- FlowersBright red pendent flowers with furled petals and a projecting staminal column, carried near continuously
- UsesIdeal for shaded borders and understorey planting, informal hedging, and nectar and wildlife beds
- SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for an informal hedge or mass
- Low MaintenanceCut back hard in late winter to keep the habit tidy; it reshoots vigorously
- Pest ResistanceGenerally sound with basic care
- Wildlife AttractionThe flowers are a reliable nectar source for sunbirds, hummingbirds and butterflies
- Seasonal AppealFlowers across most of the warm year rather than in a single flush
Turk's Cap is one of the few genuinely shade-tolerant shrubs that will hold red flower colour for most of the year.
Availability by project review. Sizes, quantities, origin and export readiness are confirmed after your plant schedule is reviewed against destination, timing and quarantine requirements. MEWA certified for supply into Saudi Arabia; Australian Export Registered Establishment.
Enquiries: sales@ornatecinternational.com
310 Donkin Rd, Utchee Creek QLD 4871, Australia
Prepared 09 September 2026