Mauritius Hibiscus Flower

Posted on April 1, 2010 in Mauritius Travel

Hibiscus Fragilis is a rare shrub found in Mauritius. The plant belongs to Magnoliopsida. The plant is called Augerine and Mandrinette in French. The flowers are mostly found in the Corps de Garde mountain in Mauritius. The plant was added to the red list of IUCN in 2006. IUCN stands for International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural resources.

IUCN was founded in the year 1948. It is a comprehensive way for reporting global conservation status on various plants and animals. The 2006 Red List consists of 40,168 species. Which also includes Hibiscus Fragilis plant. These plants are only found in the steep mountain slopes of Mauritius.

Mauritius Hibiscus Flowers:
Hibiscus Fragilis is an ever green plant. The flowers are 7-10 cms in diameter. There are five petals and the petals are pink or carmine red in color. The plant looks similar to the Chinese Hibiscus. Mandrinette plants are decreasing in number and hence included in the list of endangered plant species.

There are only 46 plants existing now. Introduction of Hibiscus Fragilis as a garden plant is the key reason for decline in the number of plants. The plants regeneration factor is considered to be very poor. The flower are ornamental.

Precautions taken for Conservation of Hibiscus Fragilis:
The plants are not able to reproduce due to heavy competition from variety of Hibiscus species. Hybridisation with Hibiscus plants is also a major factor that is hindering the growth of Mandrinette. However, few precautions were taken to protect the plant from becoming extinct.

The precautions include:
These plants reproduce easily by cutting and seeds. NPCS nursery is home to 200 plants. Royal Botanic Garden, Kew is also trying to reproduce this plant by using Ex-situ conservation methods.

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