Swamp Rose-mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Euclea delphinii, Automeris io, Orgyia leucostigma, Idia lubricalis, Anomis flava, Feltia subterranea, Anticarsia gemmatalis, Spodoptera exigua, Eudryas unio, Strymon melinus, Heliothis virescens, Helicoverpa zea, Hypena scabra
S13+S15 13 verified Eastern NA
🐝 Specialist Bee Host: Ptilothrix bombiformis
S17 Fowler specialist on Hibiscus; S10 Rose Mallow bee oligolege; S61 oligolectic on swamp rose-mallow
❄️ Winter Food Source: Seeds consumed by Evening Grosbeak (Fringillidae). Capsules persist into fall but seed abundance is low and persistence is limited, reducing winter availability.
S57 Evening Grosbeak occurrence record; S11 Fruit/Seed Persistence=No, Abundance=Low

Proximity Score: 2
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: SW
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.2 – Lake Erie Lowland
Rarity Notes: SARA-listed as Special Concern (Schedule 1, listed 2006-08-15). COSEWIC status Special Concern. Nationally ranked N3 in Canada. Ontario S3 (Vulnerable). Range in Canada restricted to southern Ontario along Great Lakes shoreline. Global rank G5 (Secure), IUCN Least Concern.
S26 SARA Special Concern Schedule 1; S22 G5, N3, S3 ON, COSEWIC SC
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S3 – Vulnerable
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: Obligate wetland species of marshes, open swamps, river bottoms, and lake margins. In Ontario, concentrated along Lake Erie lowland and southern Great Lakes shoreline. Naturally associated with cattail marshes, sedge meadows, and floodplain communities. At its northern range limit in southern Ontario, restricted to sites with persistent standing water or saturated soils.
S7 marshes, river bottoms, salt springs; S10 marshes, open swamps, soggy areas; S22 native ON

Roles: Insectary Plant, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Insectary Plant: S64 NPPBI 'beneficial insects' flag] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: OWSL recommends pairing with other wetland and moist-meadow natives for naturalistic rain garden and wetland edge plantings. All listed companions share wet to medium-wet soil preferences and overlapping bloom periods, creating a layered summer-to-fall pollinator garden.
S3 OWSL complementary plants context

Category: Demulcent, Emollient, Urinary Aid
S29 PFAF medicinal categories; S28 Moerman Shinnecock Drug Urinary Aid
Notes: Shinnecock people used an infusion of dried stalks for inflammation of the bladder. Leaves and roots abound in mucilage; used as demulcent and emollient in treatment of dysentery, lung ailments, and urinary ailments. Medicinal rating 2 of 5 (PFAF).
S28 Moerman Shinnecock urinary aid; S29 PFAF demulcent/emollient uses

❌ Not Edible

Foraging Notes: PFAF notes that while no formal edibility reports exist for this species, most Malvaceae have edible leaves and flowers. Flowers reported as mildly flavored and mucilaginous with slight bitterness; leaves bland and mucilaginous with slight hairiness. Edibility rating 1 of 5.
S29 PFAF edibility rating 1/5; unconfirmed family-level inference