Almost Forgotten
by Sarah Loft
Title
Almost Forgotten
Artist
Sarah Loft
Medium
Photograph - Digitally Painted Photograph
Description
Per Wikipedia: Hibiscus syriacus is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Asia (though not, as Linnaeus thought, Syria, in spite of the name he gave it). Common names include rose of Sharon (especially in North America), Syrian ketmia or rose mallow (United Kingdom) and St Joseph's rod (Italy).
Hibiscus syriacus is a hardy deciduous shrub. It is upright and vase-shaped, reaching 2- 4 m (7- 13 ft) in height, bearing large trumpet-shaped flowers with prominent yellow-tipped white stamens.The flowers are often pink in color, but can also be dark pink (almost purple), light pink or white. Individual flowers are short-lived, lasting only a day. However, numerous buds are produced on the shrub's new growth, and this provides prolific flowering over a long summer blooming period. Shoots make interesting indoor vase cuttings, as they stay green for a long time, and some new flowers may open from the more mature buds. The species has naturalized very well in many suburban areas, and might even be termed slightly invasive, so frequently does it seed around.
Hibiscus syriacus has been a garden shrub in Korea since time immemorial; its leaves were brewed into an herbal tea and its flowers are eaten. It was grown in Europe from the 16th century, though as late as 1629 John Parkinson thought it was tender and took great precautions with it, thinking it "would not suffer to be uncovered in the Winter time, or yet abroad in the Garden, but kept in a large pot or tubbe in the house or in a warme cellar, if you would have them to thrive." (sic) By the end of the 17th century, some knew it to be hardy: Gibson, describing Lord Arlington's London house noted six large earthen pots coddling the "tree hollyhock", as he called it, "that grows well enough in the ground". By the 18th century the shrub was common in English gardens and in the American colonies, known as Althea frutex and "Syrian ketmia".
Hibiscus syriacus is the national flower of South Korea. The flower appears in national emblems, and Korea is compared poetically to the flower in the South Korean national anthem. The flower's name in Korean is mugunghwa (Hangul: 무궁화; Hanja: 無窮花). The flower's symbolic significance stems from the Korean word mugung, which means "eternity" or "inexhaustible abundance".
Note: The watermark will not appear on the print you purchase.
Featured in the Flower Mania group, May 2016.
Featured in the 500 Views group, December 2016.
Featured in the Bedroom Art Gallery group, July 2018.
Uploaded
May 14th, 2016
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