Hibiscus boninensis Nakai; H. tiliaceus var. heterophyllus Nakai; H. tiliaceus var. tortuosus (Roxburgh) Masters; H. tortuosus Roxburgh; Pariti boninense (Nakai) Nakai; P. tiliaceum (Linnaeus) A. Jussieu; P. tiliaceum var. heterophyllum (Nakai) Nakai; Talipariti tiliaceum (Linnaeus) Fryxell.

Shrubs evergreen or trees, 4-10 m tall, to 60 cm d.b.h.; bark gray-white. Branchlets glabrous or nearly so, rarely stellate puberulent or stellate. Stipules foliaceous, oblong, ca. 2 × 1.2 cm, stellate pilose, apex rounded, caducous; petiole 3-8 cm; leaf blade nearly orbicular to broadly ovate, 8-15 × 8-15 cm, leathery, green, abaxially densely gray-white stellate puberulent, adaxially very sparsely stellate scaly, glabrescent, basal veins 7 or 9, base cordate, margin entire or obscurely crenate, apex abruptly acuminate. Inflorescence a 1- to few-flowered racemelike cyme, terminal or axillary; peduncle 4-5 cm. Pedicel 1-3 cm, with 1 pair of stipulelike bracteoles at base. Epicalyx lobes 7-10, joined for 1/3-1/2 of length, free lobes 2-2.5 mm, triangular-acuminate with slightly rounded sinuses, densely gray-white stellate puberulent. Calyx 1.5-2.5 cm, connate proximally for 1/4-1/3 of length, lobes 5, lanceolate, stellate puberulent, persistent. Corolla yellow with dark purple center, campanulate, 6-7.5 cm in diam.; petals obovate, 4-4.5 cm, yellow stellate puberulent abaxially. Filament tube ca. 3 cm, glabrous. Style branches 5, slender, with glandular hairs. Capsule subglobose to ovoid, ca. 2 cm, obscurely beaked, densely fascicled-hirsute, valves 5, woody. Seeds reniform, smooth, glabrous. Fl. Jun-Aug.

Borssum Waalkes (Blumea 14: 30-38. 1966) recognized a series of six SubSpe. Chinese material belongs to the nominate SubSpe, Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. tiliaceus.

Fiber from the bast of Hibiscus tiliaceus is used on Hainan to make fishing nets.

Sea shores, along streams, sandy soil; near sea level to 300 m. Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan [Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam; pantropical].