I have a hibiscus that's growing in our bottomland and it looks identical to the plant you're posting here (but ours hasn't bloomed yet).

But this photo looks different than your other photo:



Is the difference in color explained by different lighting, or does this species exhibit varying leaf color?

There is some variability in all aspects of the leaf (color, shape, pubescents), but in this case I believe it is the lighting. This leaf is in full sun where the others were in the shade.

I'm watching mine and will post when it blooms. I have quite a good amount of them in our bottomland, deep in the forest in a clearing that I've never really visited before. I was surprised to see hibiscus growing down there.

They started blooming today and the blooms are exactly like your photos here. Looks like we have a match!

Well you'll have to wait for the fruit to be sure if it is subsp. lasiocarpos or subsp. moscheutos. Although the ones I have found around here, lasiocarpos have soft pubescent, leaves and moscheutos are glabrous.

The leaves on mine are very much soft and pubescent.

Sounds like that is probably it then. When the seed pods get large they should be pubescent also, if they are glabrous then it is subsp. moschuetos.

I'll watch for it but I'm expecting pubescence based on the leaves.

It's neat to see native hibiscus growing in my bottomland. The blooms are huge and beautiful.

I found some growing in Orange that have glabrous leaves that I suspect are subsp. moscheutos. I am going to try and get back there later this year, and see if I can get some good photos to show a comparison of the two subspecies, for the database.

That would be very useful for future visitors to these entries in the DB.