This African native is a short-lived perennial shrub in the subtropics and tropics but can be grown as an annual in cooler climates. It is also known also as false roselle, red leaf hibiscus or maroon mallow It grows rapidly to 1.7 m high with deeply cut leaves similar to Japanese maple. The leaf color of deep cranberry red is highly ornamental; the flowers are a small, very pretty, rose-pink hibiscus-type. The 2-inch wide flowers appear in late fall and last through the winter. Cranberry hibiscus is a hardy plant that thrives when it is warm and wet; it prefers full sun but will grow in partial shade. It needs ample water, rich, fertile, well-drained soil that is kept mulched and a pH of between 6.1 and 6.5. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, cranberry hibiscus grows quickly and requires spacing of 6 to 10 feet.