Balibago
Hibiscus tiliaceus · Sea hibiscus
- Names in the book
- Balibago, Tag., Pam.; Malabago, Vis.
- Colours
- floweryellow, orangecentrecrimson
- Native range
- Tropical coasts worldwide
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Abounds in all parts of the islands.
- Family
- Malvaceae, filed in the book under Malvaceæ
- Printed as
- Hibiscus tiliaceus, L.
- Sources
- Page 46 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Hibiscus tiliaceus, commonly known as the sea hibiscus or coast cottonwood, is an evergreen species of flowering tree in the mallow family, Malvaceae, with a pantropical distribution along coastlines. It has also been introduced to Florida and New Zealand. It has been debated whether this species is native or introduced to Hawaii.
Excerpt from “Hibiscus tiliaceus” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 312 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 34 provinces, most often Davao del Norte (16), Palawan (10), Batanes (8), Davao Oriental (6), Metropolitan Manila (5), Davao del Sur (4), Sorsogon (4), Leyte (3), and 26 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
An infusion of the leaves is used as a wash for ulcers and indolent sores. The flowers boiled in milk are used to relieve the pain of earache (Blanco), the warm milk being dropped into the external canal. The powdered bark in dose of 3 grams is emetic(?) (Blanco).
Botanical description
A small tree 6–12° high with leaves 4–6′ long, alternate, 7-nerved, cleft at the base, abruptly acute, scalloped, pubescent. Petioles long. Flowers axillary, in panicles of very small flowerets. Calyx double, the outer portion divided into 8–9 teeth, the inner into 5 longer parts. Stamens numerous, inserted about a column. Style 1. Stigmas 5. Ovary of 5 cells, each containing 2 seeds.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- Cadinane-Type Sesquiterpenoids with Cytotoxic Activity from the Infected Stems of the Semi-mangrove Hibiscus tiliaceus
- Cadinane-type sesquiterpenoid dimeric diastereomers hibisceusones A-C from infected stems of Hibiscus tiliaceus with cytotoxic activity against triple-negative breast cancer cells
- Discovery of Cadinane-Type Sesquiterpenoids from the Infected Stems of Hibiscus tiliaceus as Potential Agrochemical Fungicides