木芙蓉也称拒霜花(Hibiscus mutabilis),因多在10月下旬开花而得名。宋孝宗曾在诗中赞道“托根不与菊为奴,历尽风霜未肯降。本是无心岂有怨,年年清艳照秋江”。对它的评价比秋菊还高。这个季节,除了木芙蓉,长江流域少有其他木本花卉开放,这也是它倍受欢迎,并园林中普遍应用的原因。因其花期在深秋初冬,气候正常时,可开到11月下旬,期间若有强降温,遇重霜时花朵不能正常开放,花期会大大缩短。所以此花在气候较暖的西南等地,栽培更加普遍。历史上成都就广为栽培,故有“蓉城”之称,木芙蓉也成为该市的市花。它为锦葵科落叶灌木或小乔木,在长江下游地区多呈灌木状,高2米左右,在良好小气候下也能长成乔木状,高达5米以上。全株均密被星状短柔毛。叶大,卵圆状心形,直径7～18厘米,5～7掌状 Hibiscus Mutabilis, also known as Hibiscus mutabilis, is named for its flowering in late October. Song Hsiao-tsung praised the poem “Torgen not with chrysanthemum as slaves, gone through the wind and frost did not fall. This is not mind no complain, every year Qing Yan Zhaojiang.” Its evaluation is higher than Qiu Ju. This season, in addition to wood hibiscus, there are few other woody flowers open in the Yangtze River Valley, which is why it is so popular and widely used in gardens. Because of its flowering in late autumn and early winter, when the climate is normal, it can open until late November, if there is a strong cooling during heavy frost when the flowers can not be normal open, flowering will be greatly reduced. So this flower in the warmer southwest and other places, cultivation is more common. Historically, Chengdu is widely cultivated, it is “Chengdu City,” said Wood Hibiscus also become the city’s flower market. It is malvaceae deciduous shrubs or small trees, mostly in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River shrub-like, about 2 meters high, in a good microclimate can grow into a tree-like, up to 5 meters above. All plants are densely stellate pubescent. Leaves large, oval heart-shaped, diameter 7 to 18 cm, 5 to 7 palmately