Hibiscus elatus

H. elatus is a large evergreen tree up to 25 m high, tall straight trunk 0.4 m in diameter or larger. Leaves alternate with slender round leafstalks, 6Ð10 cm long, light green basal scales (stipules) 3 cm long, shedding early and leaving ring scar. Blades heart-shaped and nearly round, about 13Ð18 cm long and broad, abruptly shorter long-pointed at apex and heart-shaped or notched at base, with straight or finely wavy edges, with mostly nine main veins from base, slightly thickened, upper surface green and hair-less, lower surface gray hairy with 1Ð3 narrow glands near base of main veins. Flowers 1Ð3 borne at leaf bases at ends of twigs on stout green stalks of 13 mm, with light green hairy basal cup (involucre) 2 cm long with nine long-pointed lobes. Calyx 4Ð5 cm, light green, hairy, tubular with five narrow long-pointed spreading lobes. Petals five, yellow with large dark red spot at base inside, 9Ð13 cm long, narrow elliptical spreading, united at base. Stamens numerous on whitish column united with corolla at base. Pistil has densely hairy five-celled ovary, long style, and five rounded stigmas. Seed capsules egg-shaped, 2.5Ð4 cm long, blunt-pointed, densely hairy, splitting into five parts, calyx and involucre shedding. A red-flowered form is known there (Little and Skolmen, 2003).