Hibiscus grow wild in many tropical, subtropical, and warm-temperate regions around the world and have been cultivated for centuries.
The name comes from hibiskos, the old Greek name for the common marsh mallow.
The most commonly grown species is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which means China Rose.
They are large, flat, conspicuous, trumpet-shaped flowers, with five petals, ranging from white to pink, red, purple or yellow.
Reference: http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/tropicalflowers/china-rose