Even Momijiaoi(Scarlet rosemallow), which can withstand the direct sunlight of midsummer, is truly tired out in this intense heat.  Momijiaoi is a perennial plant of the Malvaceae genus Hibiscus that grows naturally in wetlands and swamps in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida in the United States.  It is also called Swanp hibiscus because it grows naturally in swamps.  It is a plant that came to Japan in 1863 (the end of the Edo period) and has been popular since ancient times.  The flowers are one-day flowers, and the flowers that open in the morning deflate in the evening, but many flowers bloom one after another in the hot summer months.  In addition to red, there are also white flowers.

真夏の直射日光にも負けないモミジアオイもさすがにこの猛暑にはげんなりです。モミジアオイは、アメリカのアラバマ、ジョージア州、フロリダ州などの湿地や沼地などに自生するアオイ科フヨウ属の多年草です。沼地に多く自生することから、沼ハイビスカス(swamp hibiscus)とも呼ばれています。日本へは1863年(幕末)に渡来し、古くから親しまれてきた植物です。花は一日花で、朝に開いた花は夕方にはしぼみますが、夏の暑い盛りにたくさんの花が次々と開花します。花の色は赤の他、白などもあります。