What it is
Turk's Cap (Malvaviscus arboreus) is in the Malvaceae (Mallow) family. A shade-tolerant native that feeds hummingbirds all summer — and the small red fruits are edible.
How to grow it
It wants part shade to sun, water it low, and give it tolerant soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–7.5. Space plants about 3 ft apart. Expect roughly Established. Hardy native perennial.
How it's used
Turk's Cap is used: fruit fresh; flowers in tea.
🔎 How to identify it
- Soft maple-like leaves
- Red turban-shaped flowers that never fully open
- Small red applelike fruit
Edibility
How to grow & propagate turk's cap
Everything I've worked out about starting this one, keeping it alive through a Texas year, and turning one plant into many — free.
How to propagate turk's cap
The mallow family loves heat. Sow the seed once the soil is thoroughly warm — soaking it overnight helps the hard coat — and give it full sun. The perennial members (Turk's cap, rock rose) also root from softwood cuttings taken in early summer.
Growing turk's cap in Texas
Give it part shade to sun and tolerant soil. Match the spot to the plant and most of the battle is already won.
Time your planting to our long warm season and watch the frost dates at both ends; the live weather tool on this site is built for exactly that.
Once it's rooted in, this is a low-water plant — overwatering does more harm than drought here. Water deeply to establish, then back off and let it prove how tough it is.
Harvesting
Figure on roughly established before you're harvesting. The part you're after: fruit and flowers.
Making more for free
Every seed we sell is open-pollinated, which means you can save your own from the best plants and it'll grow true next year. Let a few of your strongest plants finish and go to seed, dry it fully, and store it cool and dark. That's the whole point of heirlooms — buy once, grow forever.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.