Thespesia grandiflora DC.

Common Names

Thespesia grandiflora DC. is most commonly known as maga or maga colorada, which translates to "red-colored maga". It is also mistakenly called amapola, a Puerto Rican term that refers to hibiscus.

Taxonomy & National Status

This species is a tree in the Malvaceae family, part of the rosids clade, and it is endemic to Puerto Rico. Its flower is officially recognized as the national flower of Puerto Rico.

Native & Current Range

It was originally native to the humid lower limestone mountains of the Cordillera Central and the Northern Karst Belt, located in the western and north-central regions of Puerto Rico's main island. Due to extensive cultivation, it now grows throughout the entire Puerto Rican archipelago.

Uses & Cultivation

The maga is primarily used as an ornamental plant. Like its relative portia, its wood is also valued for being durable timber. It is cultivated as an ornamental tree in Florida, Hawaii, Honduras, and multiple Caribbean islands.

Genetic Relations

Although maga belongs to the same family as hibiscus, and is sometimes called hibiscus in English or amapola in Puerto Rican Spanish, it actually belongs to a separate genus and is more closely related to cotton.