Kosteletzkya virginica – Seashore Mallow

Characteristics: herbaceous perennial with 2 inch wide pink flowers

Flowers: July - September

Fruit: capsule with seeds in fall

Growth: 2 to 4 feet tall, slow rate of spread (less than 0.2 ft per year)

Shade: full sun

Habitat: brackish marshes

Hydrology: obligate wetland, brackish water, salinity up to 10 ppt, above mean high tide to spring tide elevation

Range: Long Island south to Florida and Texas

Comments: Seashore Mallow’s pink flowers look like smaller version of Marsh Hibiscus, with 3-pointed maple-like leaves.