Hibiscus???

What exactly is the etymology of "hibiscus"? I looked it up, and I found out it basically means "a mallow plant" but what the hell is a mallow plant? I want to know because I know a person named Hibiscus.

Hibiscus???
Hibiscus is a unique flower.
Reply:I would assume that a person named "Hibiscus" is named after the flower. Sort of like "Daisy" or "Rose" :-)
Reply:hibiscus


1706, from L. hibiscum "marshmallow plant," perhaps from Gaulish.


rose


O.E. rose, from L. rosa (cf. It., Sp. rosa, Fr. rose; also source of Du. roos, Ger. Rose, Swed. ros, etc.), probably via It. and Gk. dialects from Gk. rhodon "rose" (Aeolic wrodon), ult. from Pers. *vrda-. But cf. Tucker: "The rose was a special growth of Macedonia %26amp; the Thracian region as well as of Persia, %26amp; the Lat. %26amp; Gk. names prob. came from a Thraco-Phrygian source." Aramaic warda is from O.Pers.; the modern Pers. cognate, via the usual sound changes, is gul, source of Turk. gül "rose." The ultimate source of all this may be PIE *wrdho- "thorn, bramble." Used of a color since 1530. In English civil wars of 15c., the white rose was the badge of the House of York, the red of its rival Lancaster. Rose-water is attested from 1398. Rose-colored "optimistic" is first recorded 1854. In the fig. sense, bed of roses is from 1593. Rosy in the sense of "cheerful" is first recorded 1775; meaning "promising" is from 1887. Rose of Sharon (Song of Sol. ii.1) is attested from 1611 and named for the fertile strip of coastal Palestine. The flower has not been identified; used in U.S. since 1847 of the Syrian hibiscus.
Reply:If she's named Hibiscus, she is likely named after the flower. See link below for a picture.
Reply:Family Malvaceae (order Malvales), which contains about 95 genera of herbs, shrubs, and small trees.





Mallow species occur in all but the coldest parts of the world, but they are most numerous in the tropics. Hairs that branch into starlike patterns commonly cover some or most vegetative (nonflower) parts of these plants. The flowers are regular and often showy. Cotton is the most important member of the family economically. The green fruits of okra are edible. Many species are valued as ornamentals, including hollyhock and rose of Sharon.
Reply:http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/982/





It is Malaysia's national flower.


There are many plats in my garden. Lovely flowers.