General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 7b -15 °C (5 °F) to -12.2 °C (10 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 10b
Plant Height: 5 feet
Plant Spread: 5 feet
Leaves: Deciduous
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Pink
Flower Time: Summer
Late summer or early fall
Fall
Late fall or early winter
Other: Deadhead faded flowers to ensure more flowering throughout the season
Uses: Suitable as Annual
Wildlife Attractant: Hummingbirds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Drought tolerant
Containers: Suitable in 3 gallon or larger
Needs excellent drainage in pots
Awards and Recognitions: Texas Superstar®
Other: Lynn Lowery Award from the Native Plant Society of Texas

Image
Common names
  • Turk's Cap
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
  • Synonym: Malvaviscus drummondii

Photo Gallery
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2021-08-03
Bush thrives in virtually full shade all day long.  Only 1 hour f
Location: My Garden
Date: 2018-08-20

Date: 2010-11-01
Location: Botanical Gardens of the State of Georgia...Athens, Ga
Date: 2017-10-11
Pam Puryear - Turk's Cap 001
Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2017-09-27
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2019-09-05
Fruiting end of season.  4 y.o. specimen, planted by prior homeow
Location: Georgia, USA
Location: Mountain City, Texas
Date: 2016-07-12
Location: Plano, TX
Germinated in 6 days

Date: 2011-10-25

Date: 2011-10-25

Date: 2011-10-25
Location: Plano, TX
Fully opened seed leaves
Location: Temple, Texas
Date: 2019-09-05
Turk's Cap Pink.  Specimen is over 4 y.o., planted by previous ho

Date: 2011-10-25

Date: 2011-10-25
Comments:
  • Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Oct 21, 2018 1:23 PM concerning plant:
    Mine is 'Pam Puryear' variety I started from seeds I got here in a Fall 2016 Seed Swap. I have grown it in a pot, but after seeing how it sprawls I will plant it out in a flower bed next spring. It didn't get a lot of sun where it was this summer and it caused some flowers to turn out white. When moved to more sun, the flowers got pale pink again. No bugs or diseases seem to bother it.
  • Posted by JuniperAnn (Coastal TX (Sunset 28/31) - Zone 9a) on Mar 27, 2019 6:00 AM concerning plant:
    This is one of my favorite plants. Grows in full sun (but will wilt a bit in the dead of summer), part shade, or full shade (but will grow slowly and bloom less—but still bloom). Grows in any soil. Tolerates both drought and flood.

    It's a lovely bright warm pink, a color I have trouble finding in a sea of cool pink plants. Its small, bright, prolific, frequently-reblooming flowers and big light green leaves put it in an easy-to-use middle spot between showy and restrained.

    Every part of the plant is edible (if not tasty), so you don't have to be concerned about having it around babies or children. In the fall, it grows very cute fruit that look like tiny red apples. The fruit has an appealing crunch, but the insipid taste of dilute sugar water. The leaves are fuzzy, which makes them thoroughly unappealing for raw eating. I've heard they're good cooked, but haven't tried yet.

    Grows easily from cuttings (I say as per someone who always kills rose cuttings; I have ~a 1/2 success rate of rooting cuttings with rooting hormone, or 1/5 without). Will slowly spread by colonizing or self-seeding (my 3 mature plants have produced 1 seedling in 2 years), but not aggressively so. Easy to keep to the location you want.

    One of its few faults is that it will die back to the ground if temperatures fall to the 20's F. For this reason, it's not a great choice as an isolated specimen or as the only plant in a single-species hedge. But it's evergreen in the 30s, so that's not often a problem here in zone 9.

    Also, it tends to be pretty open and lacy, so if you want a dense look, you should plant at least 2 plants pretty close together (maybe 1-1.5' apart on the centers).
  • Posted by tabbycat (Youngsville, LA - Zone 9b) on Sep 15, 2018 5:31 PM concerning plant:
    My 2 plants I started from seeds spring 2017 are now over a year old and producing lots of pink flowers the hummingbirds love. They are growing in pots on my patio, so I have made cuttings when they get too wide and many have rooted easily in water in a few weeks. They will go in the ground this fall where they can really take off next spring. Depending on the sun's position through the year, they have gotten near white when in only dappled sun. When moved back in 1/2-day sun, they returned to medium pink again. A lovely plant.
  • Posted by Deborah1983 (Central Texas) on Jul 2, 2023 7:59 PM concerning plant:
    I have a pink turk's cap. I'm not sure if it's this variety or another. Red turk's cap have started growing up around it so I have to believe it doesn't grow true to seed.
  • Posted by ricelg (Hill Country TX - Zone 8b) on Oct 23, 2017 12:42 PM concerning plant:
    I found this variety at a local nursery late this spring. I planted it in part shade and it did wonderfully - with many blooms and some fruiting. Unfortunately, late in August it took some heavy deer browsing, which it is still recovering from. I have saved all the seeds and hope to grow a few more, as well as take some stem cuttings next early spring...assuming no issues overwintering.
Plant Events from our members
ricelg On January 8, 2018 Seeds germinated
1st indoor germination (1 of 36); removed dome, goes under high tomorrow
ricelg On December 30, 2017 Seeds sown
Sowed 36 seeds I collected from my plant this summer/fall. Sowing indoors, 1/2 flat, moist soil, covered in dome, heat mat set to 75
ricelg On December 24, 2017 Seeds sown
Winter sowed in plastic jug. Morning/early pm sun in front of north face of retaining wall by pool
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