There is a large stand of this plant on my road (northern Beaufort County on the edge of the ACE basin) I believe to be Hisbiscus laevis, but the leaves seem wrong.
Hi Jenny,
you are correct that this is a native Hibiscus. It isn’t Hibiscus laevis, which has no hairs on the plant. This is either Hibiscus moscheutos or Hibiscus lasiocarpos. Hibiscus moscheutos has felty hairs on the underside of the leaf but not on top, and Hibiscus lasiocarpos has very felty hairs on both sides of the leaves and on the calyx. I’m not sure from the photo if the hairs are on both sides or not.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven Hill, Botanist, SCNPS