Hibiscus hastatus
Encyclopedia
Hibiscus hastatus is a large shrub or tree in the family Malvaceae
Malvaceae
Malvaceae, or the mallow family, is a family of flowering plants containing over 200 genera with close to 2,300 species. Judd & al. Well known members of this family include okra, jute and cacao...

. H. hastatus is known by its common name of Purau teruere or Tahiti hibiscus.

The blossoms of H. hastatus are pale yellow (occasionally with intermittent pale red petal margins) and a deep red center upon opening. Over the course of the day, the flowers deepen to orange and finally red before they senesce
Senescence
Senescence or biological aging is the change in the biology of an organism as it ages after its maturity. Such changes range from those affecting its cells and their function to those affecting the whole organism...

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Leaves are variably 3-lobed with some leaves being more slender and nearly lobeless ('hastatus' refers to the spear-like shape of the leaves).

Some references treat H. hastatus as a subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...

 of Hibiscus tiliaceus.
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