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Service Notice

The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system, WAHerb, and DBCA’s taxonomic names application, WACensus, have been set to read-only mode since 1 October 2025. Recent taxonomic changes are not reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or in the census. We are hoping to be able to reinstate services around December 15; we will provide an update at that time.

The notice period started at 9:00 am on Wednesday, 1 October 2025 +08:00 and will end at 12:00 pm on Monday, 15 December 2025 +08:00.

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Hibiscus sturtii Hook.
Sturt's Hibiscus

Reference
T.Mitch., J.Exped.Trop.Australia 363 (1848)
Conservation Code
Not threatened
Naturalised Status
Native to Western Australia
Name Status
Current

Shrub, 0.15-3 m high. Fl. blue-purple/pink/yellow-cream, Jan to Dec. Variety of soils. Variety of habitats.

Amanda Spooner, Descriptive Catalogue, 10 September 1999

Scientific Description

Herb or shrub. Stems hairy. Leaves 35-110 mm long, 18-35 mm wide, not lobed; margins entire or crenate; indumentum present, with stellate hairs; stipules present and persistent to older leaves, 30 mm long. Perianth clearly of two whorls (calyx and corolla), the corolla obvious and prominent. Pedicel present, 13 mm long; indumentum present, with stellate hairs. Epicalyx (extra segments or 'bracteoles' immediately below the calyx) present, 12 mm long, the lobes free, indumentum present, stellate hairs present. Calyx green, 15 mm long, the lobes fused less than half their length, simple hairs (without tubercle bases) present, stellate hairs present. Corolla pink or purple, 35 mm long, glabrous. Indumentum (outside) Sessile glands absent. Stamens many, united and arising from a staminal tube around the style; filaments present, 0.6 mm long; anthers 0.6 mm long. Ovary hairs and scales absent (ovary quite glabrous); style 1, 17 mm long, with five style branches or lobes, mostly glabrous. Fruits dehiscent (capsules and follicles), length-width ratio more or less as long as wide, hairs or scales present, simple hairs (without tubercle bases) present; apex rounded; calyx persistent to mature fruit, 18-20 mm long, accrescent; seeds per loculus 2-4. Flowering time January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November or December. Distribution Botanical Province Eremaean, IBRA Bioregion Pilbara, Carnarvon, Gascoyne, Little Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert, Central Ranges, Murchison or Great Victorian Desert.

C. Hollister and K.R. Thiele, 11 August 2023

Distribution

IBRA Regions
Carnarvon, Central Kimberley, Central Ranges, Coolgardie, Dampierland, Gascoyne, Gibson Desert, Great Sandy Desert, Great Victoria Desert, Little Sandy Desert, Murchison, Ord Victoria Plain, Pilbara, Tanami, Yalgoo.
IBRA Subregions
Ashburton, Augustus, Cape Range, Carnegie, Central, Chichester, Eastern Goldfield, Eastern Murchison, Edel, Fitzroy Trough, Fortescue, Hamersley, Hart, Lateritic Plain, Mackay, Mann-Musgrave Block, McLarty, Pindanland, Purnululu, Roebourne, Rudall, Tanami Desert, Trainor, Western Murchison, Wooramel.
IMCRA Regions
Ningaloo, Shark Bay.
Local Government Areas (LGAs)
Ashburton, Broome, Carnarvon, Cue, Derby-West Kimberley, East Pilbara, Exmouth, Halls Creek, Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Karratha, Laverton, Meekatharra, Murchison, Ngaanyatjarraku, Port Hedland, Sandstone, Shark Bay, Upper Gascoyne, Wiluna.