SimplePlant

Malvaceae

Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus syriacus L.

Family
Malvaceae
Genus
Hibiscus

Pets and kids

  • CatsSafe
  • DogsSafe
  • KidsSafe
Why

Cats: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Dogs: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Kids: Safe

Sources below say it is non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Photo: Meng-Ying Tsai, CC0, from iNaturalist

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Is Rose of Sharon safe for cats, dogs and kids?

Is Rose of Sharon safe for cats?

Our sources call Rose of Sharon non-toxic to cats. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Is Rose of Sharon safe for dogs?

Our sources call Rose of Sharon non-toxic to dogs. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Is Rose of Sharon safe for kids?

Our sources call Rose of Sharon non-toxic to young children. Any plant can upset a stomach if a lot is eaten.

Ate some? Call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435 (a fee may apply). For a child, call Poison Help at 1-800-222-1222 (US). If they are struggling to breathe or collapse, call 911. Don't give anything by mouth unless a vet or poison expert tells you to.

See all cat-safe plants, dog-safe plants and child-safe plants.

Similar names and close relatives

A shared name doesn't mean a shared answer: check the exact plant.

  • Chinese hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensissame genusCats: Not sure; Dogs: Not sure; Kids: Not sure

Common names

By language (50)
Afrikaans
Alteaboompie
Arabic
خطمي سوري, حب مسك سوري, خطمية شجرية, هبكسوس سوري
Armenian
Հիբիսկուս սիրիական, Բաղրջուկ, Սիրիական վարդ, Քետմի
arz
خطمى سورى
Azerbaijani
Suriya hibiskusu
Basque
Siriako arrosa
Belarusian
Гібіскус сірыйскі
Bulgarian
Сирийски хибискус
Burmese
ခေါင်ရန်းကြီး, ကြွေခေါင်ရမ်း
Cantonese
水錦花
cdo
Mŭk-gê̤ṳng
Chinese
木槿, 朝天子, 朝开暮落花, 木棉, 木槿叶, 木槿子, 木槿根, 木槿皮
Croatian
Sirijski hibiskus
Czech
Ibišek syrský
Danish
Syrisk rose
Dutch
Tuinhibiscus, Althaeaboompje, Altheastruik
English
Rose of Sharon
Finnish
Sinihibiskus
French
Ketmie, Rose de Sharon
Galician
Rosa de Sharon, Rosa de Siria, Roseira de Siria
German
Straucheibisch, Mugunghwa, Sharonrose
hsb
Syriska róžowa popla
Hungarian
Kerti mályvacserje, Törökrózsa, Hibiszkusz, Mályvacserje
Indonesian
Mugunghwa
Italian
Ibisco cinese
Japanese
ムクゲ, むくげ, モクキンカ, モクキンピ, 木槿, 木槿皮, 木槿花, 槿
Korean
무궁화, 무궁화나무, 히비스쿠스
lzh
木槿
Macedonian
Сириска слезовина
mnc
ᠮᠣᠣᠶᡝᠨ ᡳᠯᡥᠠ
Persian
ختمی سوریهای درختی, ختمی سوریه ای درختی, هیبیسکوس سیریاکوس
Polish
Hibiskus, Poślubnik syryjski, Ślaz drzewny, Ślazowiec syryjski
Portuguese
Hibisco-da-síria, Rosa-de-sarom
Romanian
Zămoșiță de Siria, Hibiscus
Russian
Гибискус сирийский
Serbian
Сиријски хибискус
Serbian (Latin)
Sirijski hibiskus
shn
မွၵ်ႇလၢႆႈလႅင်
Slovak
Ibištek sýrsky
Slovenian
Sirski oslez
Spanish
Rosa de Siria
Swedish
Frilandshibiskus
szy
Nipaluma-busugi
Tatar
Сүрия һибискысы
Thai
ชบาจีน
Turkish
Ağaçhatmi, Ağaç hatmi
Ukrainian
Гібіск сирійський
Uyghur
پەرەڭگۈل
Uzbek
Hibiskus syriacus
za
Vadanhbeiz

Synonyms

  • Althaea frutex hort. ex Mill.
  • Hibiscus acerifolius Salisb.
  • Hibiscus arborescens Gaterau
  • Hibiscus chinensis DC.
  • Hibiscus floridus Salisb.
  • Hibiscus rhombifolius Cav.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. alboplenus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. albus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. amplissimus L.F.Gagnep.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. brevibracteatus S.Y.Hu
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. chinensis Lindl.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. elegantissimus L.F.Gagnep.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. grandiflorus Rehder
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. longibracteatus S.Y.Hu
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. marginatus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. micranthus Y.N.Lee & K.B.Yim
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. paeoniiflorus L.F.Gagnep.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. purpureoplenus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. purpureus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. ruber Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. sinensis Lem.
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. syriacus
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. totoalbus T.Moore
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. variegatus Sweet
  • Hibiscus syriacus var. violaceus L.F.Gagnep.
  • Ketmia arborea Moench
  • Ketmia syriaca (L.) Scop.
  • Ketmia syrorum Medik.

Flowers

In flower
July to September (from 2,577 flowering iNaturalist observations worldwide)

Characteristics

Growth habit
Shrub, Tree
Lifespan
Perennial
In the US and Canada
Lower 48 states: introduced

Photos

More in Hibiscus

Sources: classification, synonyms from World Flora Online Plant List (2026-06, CC0 1.0); common names, popularity from Wikidata (2026-10-26, CC0 1.0); common names, US characteristics from USDA PLANTS Database (2025-05-29, CC0 1.0). About our plant data.