Malvaceae · Hibiscus

Bola / Tree Mallow

Hibiscus tiliaceus

Also known as Yellow Mallow Tree, Wild Thespesia

Tree
Habit
Tree
Found in India
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra & more
Flowering
January-April

Plant Details

Scientific name
Hibiscus tiliaceus
Genus
Hibiscus
Family
Malvaceae
Habit
Tree
Habitat
Plains, mainly coastal and river banks
Habitat type
Coastal, Wetland
Distribution
Tropical & sub-tropical regions of the World
Found in India
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Lakshadweep
Flowering & fruiting
January-April
Conservation status
Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape
CordaterecordedHeart-shaped, with a notch at the base.The leaves are heart shaped and deep red in the var. — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Arrangement
Alternate
Simple type leaf character
Type
Simple
Lobed margin leaf character
Margin
Lobed
Palmate venation leaf character
Venation
Palmate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Bola itself; the rest are typical of the Malvaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Inflorescence
Solitary
Fruit
Capsule

Typical of the Malvaceae family — flowering plants only; individual species can differ.

Local Names

Hindi
बोला Bola, चेल्वा Chelwa, पोला Pola
Bengali
বোলা Bola, ছেলবা Chelaba, সমুদ্রজবা Samudrajaba
Tamil
நீர்ப்பருத்தி Nir-P-Parutti, தாளிப்பருத்தி Tali-P-Parutti
Kannada
ಬಿಳಿಪಟ್ಟ Bilipatta, ಕಾರ್ಕ್ ಬೆಂಡು Kaark Bendu, ಸಮುದ್ರ ತೀರದ ಹತ್ತಿ Samudra Theerada hatti
Malayalam
തൈപ്പരുത്തി Thaipparuthi, തൈപ്പരുത്തി
Marathi
बेलपटा Belpata

About Bola

Tree Mallow (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is a tree in the Malvaceae family. In India it has been recorded in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and 12 other states. It grows in plains, mainly coastal and river banks. Flowering and fruiting run from January to April.

Uses

In practice it is grown for parts that are eaten, long used in traditional medicine and cut for timber and furniture. Those medicinal uses are traditional attributions, not medical advice.

Illustration representing the Malvaceae family
Botanical family

Malvaceae

Mallow/Hibiscus family

Bola belongs to the Malvaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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