Hibiscus

[tortoisept]

I've recently introduced several species of mulberries and hibiscus to my tortoises diets (Egyptian and Corse Hermanns). I live in England and the hibiscus syriacus are quite hardy, but I also have plenty of tropical hibiscus that I'll have to bring insisde in the winter. Now I'm on holidays in the Algarve and there are zillions of different type of tropical hibiscus here! might try to take some cuttings!!! What a paradise for tortoises!! I'll post some pics of them here and please correct me if some of these are not hibiscus... Lol.. Plenty of opuntias here also!! Lol

 

[tortoisept]

Opuntia... Look at the size of the pears

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I have noticed that at different times of year (leaf development and age) different plants have different acceptance from the dinners in the tortoise enclosures. So, as frequently said here, greater variety is good.

 

[tortoisept]

Must confess that for my tortoises hibiscus are an acquired taste, they much prefer grape leaves, mulberry leaves, all good weeds (dandellion, thistle, etc..). They go crazy for mimulus flowers though. Always go to the hibiscus flowers/leaves after everything else is eaten

 

[tortoisept]

And campanula, they are nuts with that also

 

[ZEROPILOT]

All of my tortoises eat Hibiscus but I have one that prefers Hibiscus leaves to anything else and two that will walk past anything to eat the flowers.
So even in the same species, Hibiscus is not always liked equally.

 

[tortoisept]

. Yellow/double flower

 

[tortoisept]

dark pink/double flower

 

[tortoisept]

white/light pink

 

[tortoisept]

 

[tortoisept]

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It looks very similar to our tropical variety except I believe that our flowers are larger and the stamens are shorter.
Maybe not?

 

[Jacqui]

Do you also have the hardy hibiscus over there?

 

[tortoisept]

Hibiscus syriacus in Portugal I only see them up north. Here down South in the Algarve I've only seen the rosa sinensis ones regular and double flower, but I've been living in the UK for over 10 years now so I may not be fully informed.. Lol

 

[tortoisept]

I've been taking some cuttings to take to the uk to my greenhouse . No rooting hormone at hand so I've been taking all the leaves except the last one out and keeping them in water. Hopefully I will be able to root some

 

[tortoisept]

these are some of the ones I have back in the uk, much larger and darker leaves, but only single/standard flower. Of these I have red, pink, orange, white and yellow

 

[tortoisept]

Zeropilot, the flowers of yours look very similar to the ones here.