Hibiscus is an economically important plant of Florida’s ornamental industry. Florida is the largest producer of Hibiscus rosasinensis Linn, the Chinese hibiscus or China rose, and produces 91 percent of the total U.S. market (USDA-CHS, 2014).
Hibiscus-infecting cilevirus (HiCV) was first described in H. rosa-sinensis from Hawaii in 2013 (Melzer et al. 2013) and recently
from Florida. (Roy et al. 2018a). Although initially thought to be restricted to hibiscus, the recent discovery of this virus in mixed
infection with citrus-infecting cilevirus (CiLV-C2) in sweet oranges (C. sinensis) (Roy et al. 2018b) in Colombia raised speculation
and concern that HiCV may cause citrus leprosis in citrus (Roy et al. 2018b). Because of HiCV’s relatedness to CiLV-C, and its recent
detection in citrus, there is increased urgency to monitor the virus’s presence in Florida.