Plants · La Saladita, Guerrero

Turk's cap

Malvaviscus arboreus

Spanish: flor de santos

Malvaviscus arboreus is a species of flowering plant in the hibiscus family, Malvaceae, that is native to the Southeastern United States, Mexico, Central America, and South America. The specific name, arboreus, refers to the tree-like appearance of a mature plant. It is now popular in cultivation and goes by many English names including Turkcap, Turk's turban, wax mallow, ladies teardrop and Scotchman's purse. Its flowers do not open fully and help attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

TaxonomyMagnoliopsida › Malvales › Malvaceae

Local records9 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)

Global records31,317 on iNaturalist

Most recent records2020 – 2026

Months of the 8 most recent records

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Recent local sightings

2026-02-02 — observation by jwagner1960
2024-01-07 — observation by zihuadean
2023-12-24 — observation by zihuadean
2023-01-05 — observation by zihuadean
2022-12-24 — observation by daniel_brito
2021-12-21 — observation by zihuadean

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Plants guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Turk's cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/malvaviscus-arboreus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.