Puerto Rico Territorial Flower
Flor de maga (common name) Thespesia grandiflora (scientific name) Overview Flor de maga is a flowering tree indigenous to Puerto Rico. It is the commonwealth’s official floral emblem, usually called the national flower. The blooms resemble hibiscus flowers, and flor de maga is in the same plant family, but the two are not closely related. Flor de maga, Spanish for "magician’s flower," grows on a tall tree considered useful for timber. Trunks can be up to 1 1/2 ft (.5 m) wide, and the tree’s wood is dark and fairly hard. It’s valued for making musical instruments, furniture, and decorative items. The red flowers have conspicuous yellow centers and are large, each with five shiny, rounded, slightly ruffled petals that form a cup shape, and grow singly on long stems. Trees begin to flower when they are between five and 10 years old. They usually flower all year, but will stop producing flowers if conditions get very dry. Fruits are green even when ripe and almost perfectly round and smooth, with white flesh. They yield between one and 12 seeds each.   The trees grow from seeds, which are spread by birds and bats. New trees often grow from seed under their parent tree and can tolerate some shade when young but need more sun as they mature. The trees can’t tolerate temperatures below 40°F (4°C). Close-up STATUS Official ALSO KNOWN AS Puerto Rican hibiscus PHYSICAL DETAILS Duration: Perennial Plant: Small to medium-sized tree Mature Height: 30 to 50 ft (9 to 15 m) high Flowering: Year-round Flowers: 1–2 in (2.5–5 cm) across with four wide fan-shaped petals and many stamens Flower Color: Red Leaves: 2–8 in (5 cm–20 cm) long, heart-shaped, deep green Fruit/Seed Color: Green/reddish brown HABITAT Location: Humid forests Range: Puerto Rico. Recently introduced in south Florida and elsewhere in the Caribbean TRIVIA Maga flowers are related to cotton plants. Both plants have glands that produce gossypol, a potentially toxic substance that repels predators.
	Click to enlarge an image Flor de Maga Flor de Maga Bush Close-up of Flor de Maga Flower CLASSIFICATION Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Family: Malvaceae Genus: Thespesia Species: T. grandiflora
	Author: World Trade Press