Althea vs Clay's Hibiscus

Hibiscus syriacus compared with Hibiscus clayi

Key Differences

• Althea is Not Evaluated while Clay's Hibiscus is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Althea	Clay's Hibiscus
Kingdom same	Plantae (نباتات)	Plantae (نباتات)
Phylum same	Magnoliophyta (كاسيات البذور)	Magnoliophyta (كاسيات البذور)
Class same	Magnoliopsida (ماغنولانية)	Magnoliopsida (ماغنولانية)
Order same	Malvales (خبازيات)	Malvales (خبازيات)
Family same	Malvaceae	Malvaceae
Genus same	Hibiscus	Hibiscus
Species	Hibiscus syriacus	Hibiscus clayi

Evolutionary Relationship

Althea and Clay's Hibiscus share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Hibiscus.

Conservation Status

Althea

NE — Not Evaluated

Clay's Hibiscus

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Althea	Clay's Hibiscus
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Althea

Habitat

Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (South Africa), Asia (7 countries), Europe (18 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Marshall Islands, Tonga), and South America (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador).

Clay's Hibiscus

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Althea

The Althea (Hibiscus syriacus) is a species in the genus Hibiscus. Inhabits montane grasslands and shrublands and deserts and xeric shrublands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Clay's Hibiscus

Clay's Hibiscus, Hibiscus clayi, is a rare flowering shrub in the family Malvaceae endemic to the island of Kauai in the Hawaiian archipelago. It is one of the native Hawaiian hibiscus species belonging to the kokio group, characterized by brilliantly colored flowers adapted to pollination by native Hawaiian honeycreepers, which probe the tubular flowers for nectar. Hibiscus clayi produces large, vivid red to orange-red flowers with five overlapping petals surrounding a prominent staminal column, typical of the hibiscus form. The shrub grows in dry to mesic forest habitats at low to moderate elevations on Kauai, where it is associated with native Hawaiian dryland forest communities. Like many Hawaiian plants, Clay's Hibiscus evolved in near-total isolation and is adapted to a unique ecological community that has been severely disrupted by the introduction of non-native species, habitat conversion, and the decline of native pollinators. The species is critically threatened by habitat loss, competition from invasive plants, and the extinction of native Hawaiian honeycreeper pollinators due to introduced avian malaria. Hibiscus clayi is listed as Endangered and is the subject of conservation efforts including propagation in botanical gardens and habitat restoration projects on Kauai.