Tropical Hibiscus Tylene Blue
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/11456855
Is this a rare Hibiscus?
Somewhat, I haven't seen it talked about or pictures of it much. It's sold by Fancy hibiscus.
I would love to have one. I'm a sucker for a blue bloom!
Barb
It is amazing I never saw it sold either. If it was hardy I'd grow it and give away seeds but it would die here
It is more common in south Texas because it can be grown in Mexico and brought into our state. I have seen it several times in the roadside stands along the highway. Here today and nowhere to be found later!
The color seems to vary greatly in the shades of blue...from a grayish blue to dark violet blue...appears to change color as blooms age. The shrub is smaller in size and very difficult to cultivate. I never had it create seed. With these challenges, it is not a surprise that it is not in the trade...but I would think it could be found in FL wholesalers, but still looking for a source.
Even if it did give you seeds (some of these hybrid tropical hibiscus don't produce viable seed) they wouldn't come true, you'd have to propagate by cuttings or grafting if you wanted more the same color.
Many tropical hibiscus can vary a lot in color depending on climate/weather/etc. Mine tend to be more vibrantly colored in cooler weather vs warmer, and I've also noticed that the same cultivar grown in a dry climate like CA can look very different than the same cultivar grown in a more humid area like FL or TX. This doesn't happen with all cultivars, but it's not at all uncommon.
If you're interested in "blue" tropical hibiscus (by the way, none are actually true blue--they're more of a lavender/purplish color but people call them blue because that's the closest you can get with hibiscus), 'Blue Ballerina' is a nice one that Hidden Valley Hibiscus offers from time to time. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/177296/
and Hidden Valley Hib is a good source...thanks, ecrane3 for reminding me of them!...
Thanks for the info and sharing the link.