People can find more than two hundred species of herbs, shrubs and small Shrubs in the tropical countries and in India that have been named as the `Hibiscus Shrub`. These Shrubs are the members of the `Malvaceae` family. They are called in many names in different languages in India. In Hindi, they are called as `Lashand`. In Bengali, they got the name of `Loba`. They are known as `Sembaruthi` and `Sappartu Pu` in Tamil language and in Malayalam, the people named them as `Chemparathi`.

Among the different species of herbs, probably the best known is the `H. Escu Entus`. This is very well known as the vegetable `Ladies Fingers` and another species is the `H. Sabdarifta`, the `Roselle` that is capable of making good jellies. In the shrubs and small Shrubs, there are copious species and varieties and crosses. Some of them are salver, some are like trumpets in shape. Some of them are single and some are double. The flowers of the `Hibiscus Shrub` appear throughout the year and the sunbirds and tailorbirds really admire them. In order to reach the nectar, the birds insert their beaks between the petals at the back of the flower. All the varieties are scentless although there are some exceptions. Usually, the flowers open in the morning and dried up after lasting about twelve hours. The plant has some similarity with the hollyhock in arrangement of the flowers. The plants loves the sun and you should shorten them regularly to ensure that they do not become straggly and they produce the maximum number of blossoms.

There are four major types of the `Hibiscus Shrub`. They are the `H, Mutabtlis`, `H. Rosa Sinensis`, `H. Syhacus` and the `H. Schizopetalus`. The first species is famous as the `Changeable Rose`. The word `Mutabtlis` means "changeable". The vernacular names of this species are `Gul-i-ujaib`, `Sthalpaddo` and `Oru`. Though it is not a rose, it can be easily said that the names were given because of the appearance of its double varieties. The Shrub blooms in the months of September and October. It is a large shrub or small Shrub, tending to be straggly and contains some unique leaves. If you prune them heavily after the flowering period, the shrub will produce another colour of flowers in the Winter and again later in the same year. The leaves of the shrub are large and like hearts in shape. They are almost as broad as they are long they have five veins that radiate to the point of each hazy lobe. The edge of the leaves is indent and the whole leaf and stem remain covered with a fine down. The large flowers are in the typical variety and 7.5 to 10 cm. across. They are of pure white colour in the morning and slowly turn through pale pink to deep rose in the evening.

The other varieties of the `Hibiscus Shrub` remain white, then change from pale to dark pink or remain pink. They are dead before the night comes, but you can retain both life and colour for some hours by plucking them during the morning and keeping them in a refrigerator. The fruit of the shrub is a little, hairy capsule. Except the scarlet ones, all other `Hibiscus` flowers lose their red colouring matter during the day. The species `H. Rosa Sinensis` is a big evergreen shrub. This is known as `Jasud` or `Juwa` in India. It can be stated as the most common and most beautiful amongst all of them. It can form a fine ornamental hedge.

There are some double varieties of the shrub at present and a lot of new colours like white, yellow, pink, orange, terra cotta, cerise etc. have been introduced. The leaves of the `Hibiscus Shrub` are bright green in colour and shaped like ovals. They are pointed at the top and roughly toothed except round the base. They normally grow alternately on a short stalk. At the bottom of the stalk, there is a slim bract. The lovely flowers hang like open bells amongst the leaves. They have some long bunches of stamens. The calyx is unusual. It circles the five sepals and makes the appearance of a secondary calyx that is comprised of several narrow pointed leaves. People use this as a hair decoration on festive occasions and sometimes in funereal rites. The flowers last only one day. However, you can prolong their life by keeping them in the refrigerator. It was revealed that if you rub a crushed flower on black shoes with the hand, it will give a fine polish and at present, it is a common method of shoe polishing.

The species named `H. Syriacus` or `Althea Frutex` is called as `Swet Joba` in Bengali language. It also contains a very lovely name of `Rose of Sharon`. `Shrubby Althea` is another name of this species. It can thrive best in the hills and it also produces some lovely white, blue or mauve flowers. The flowers are either single or double and they grow to about 2.7 m. Just like the hollyhocks, they too spring from the axils of the leaves. Another species of the `Hibiscus Shrub` is `H. Micranthus`. It is a strong and shrubby plant that is often seen in hedges in the hotter parts of India. The leaves of this species are deeply indent and the flowers are single, tiny and of pink coloured. Like the other types, there are many varieties and countless hybrids are being introduced.