Evening breezes brought to a halt my series of hibiscus bloom photographs, that bloom faded and shriveled, to be replaced by another. I captured the images of this post on a very quiet summer evening. This bloom was facing up closer to vertical that the previous.
A key identification for all 300 species of hibiscus is the long stamen tube. I have yet to see a local insect interacting with the stamen, always they are in the flower throat. In the tropics, pollination is thought to proceed from large butterflies and birds.
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ISO 100, 1/10 sec at f / 14
ISO 100, 1/6 sec at f / 14
Here are three macro photographs of this bloom, all from the Canon 100 “macro” lens. I learned by experience to tamp down the diaphragm to the smallest setting, f / 32 for this lens. The different aspects were achieved by moving the lens objective closer to the bloom. This is a “fixed” lens, it has one focal length.
ISO 100, 1.0 sec at f / 32 
ISO 100, 1.3 sec at f / 32 
ISO 100, 1.3 sec at f / 32
References
Wikipedia – “hibiscus.”
Michael Stephen Wills Photography 
Such a lovely bloom, Michael. Beautifully photographed.
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Thanks for the compliment, Olga, most appreciated.
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Wow! You need sunglasses to look at those.
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Thanks, Ken. Yellow like the sun
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The prominent column in the center of the flower is a characteristic not only of hibiscus but of the mallow family more generally, though I suspect people in general are most familiar with that feature from hibiscus flowers.
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Of the 244 genera of the Malvaceae family, genera Hibiscus provides the most extreme examples of long stamen tubes. Is there another genera within Malvaceae to match it?
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And you got some excellent portraits of this hibiscus flower.
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Thanks for the compliment, Steve. Most appreciated.
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Malvaviscus at least gives it a run for its money (proportionately speaking, given that the flowers are on the small side):
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2021/08/04/portraits-from-our-yard-episode-5/
Pavonia‘s not bad, either, though not as extreme:
https://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2015/06/24/rose-pavonia/
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It is a wonder Malvaviscus and Hibiscus are pollinated.
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