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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Naure: Hairy Rose Mallow

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published August 11, 2020 at 4:07 PM CDT
A tiny green bee flies into the wide, white papery petals of a hairy rose mallow flower with a deep red center.
Hairy rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos) is blooming this week near lakes, ponds, sloughs, streams, and wet lowlands. One of the largest native Missouri wildflowers, these ornate blooms attract pollinators, and deep roots help purify water.

This week on Discover Nature, find a spot to escape the summer heat in a pond or pool of a cool stream, and you may find one of the largest wildflowers in Missouri.

 

Hairy rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos) produces flowers that resemble hibiscus, with five white- or rose-colored, papery petals, and a central wine-purple spot. The tall, perennial herb sometimes develops woody stalks and can grow to eight-feet in height. 

 

Look for these ornate blooms from July to October in borders of lakes and ponds, sloughs, swamps, ditches, and wet lowlands. The plant is also a good native choice for rain gardens and wet borders, where its roots work to purify water and prevent flooding. 

 

Ducks and quail eat the plant’s seeds, bees visit the flowers, and caterpillars of several butterflies and skippers feed on the leaves. 

 

Many of its relatives in the mallow family are economically important to people, too, including okra, and cotton. 

 

Learn more about hairy rose mallow and other Missouri wildflowers in bloom this week, with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online Field Guide. 

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
See stories by Kyle Felling
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