Common name: Lesser Mallow • Marathi: दुपारी Dupari, नरेरी Nareri • Gujarati: Baporis • Bengali: Lal-surgumini • Tamil: நித்யமல்லீ Nityamalli • Telugu: నిత్యమల్లి Nityamalli, సూర్యమని Suryamani • Malayalam: സൂര്യമനീ Suryamani
Botanical name: Hibiscus hirtus Family: Malvaceae (mallow family)
Native to India, Lesser Mallow is a small tropical subshrub or perennial
which can grow upto
2 feet. It has extraordinary small, but beautiful, blooms for a Hibiscus.
The flowers are only 1-1.5 inch across, with five overlapping petals. Its
Marathi name Dupari (noon) come from the fact the flowers open fully
at noon. Seeds are cottony. Each flower's pod produces about 12-15 of these
seeds which have the ability to 'reseed' itself. Easy to grow.
Identification credit: Nandan Kalbag
| Photographed in Yogi Nursery, Delhi. |
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