Practical
Plants

Hibiscus cannabinus

Kenaf

an annual or perennial member of the Hibiscus genus in the family Malvaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Malvaceae
Life cycle
annual, perennial
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
1.8 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Young leaves - cooked[18][2][8]. Used as a potherb or added to soups[9]. The leaves have an acid flavour like sorrel[10]. Seed - roasted or ground into a flour and made into a kind of cake[2][8][9]. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy[4]. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour[4]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[17][9]. The yield varies from 2 - 10 tonnes per hectare[18] (or is it per acre?).

Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Oil
Plant part
Root
Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The juice of the flowers, mixed with sugar and black pepper, is used in the treatment of biliousness with acidity[12]. The seeds are aphrodisiac[12]. They are added to the diet in order to promote weight increase[12]. Externally, they are used as a poultice on pains and bruises[12]. The leaves are purgative[12]. An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of coughs[14]. In Ayurvedic medicine, the leaves are used in the treatment of dysentery and bilious, blood and throat disorders. The powdered leaves are applied to Guinea worms in Africa[14]. The peelings from the stems have been used in the treatment of anaemia, fatigue, lassitude, etc[14].

Product or use
Antibilious
Product or use
Aphrodisiac
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Purgative

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Yields a fibre from the stem[1][3], a very good jute substitute though it is a bit coarser[17]. The fibre strands, which are 1.5 - 3 metres long, are used for making rope, cordage, canvas, sacking, carpet backing, nets, table cloths etc[18][3][14]. For the best quality fibre, the stems should be harvested shortly after the flowers open[7][14]. The best fibre is at the base of the stems, so hand pulling is often recommended over machine harvesting[14]. Yields of about 1.25 tonnes of fibre per hectare are average, though 2.7 tonnes has been achieved in Cuba[18][14]. The pulp from the stems has been used in making paper[14]. The seed contains between 18 and 35% of an edible semi-drying oil[17][18]. It is rather similar to groundnut oil, obtained from Arachis hypogaea[12]. The oil is also used for burning, as a lubricant and in making soap, linoleum, paints and varnishes[15][17][18][14]. The seed yield varies from 2 to 10 tonnes per acre[18] (or is it per hectare?). The stems have been used as plant supports for growing runner beans etc[14]. The soot from the stems has been used as a black pigment in dyes[14]. The stem has been used as a base for drilling fire[14].

Product or use
Dye
Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Friction sticks
Product or use
Oil
Product or use
Plant support

Environment

Range
Original habitat is obscure, it probably arose in the tropics of Asia or America.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 10+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Germination is usually fairly rapid. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle. If growing them as annuals, plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer and protect them with a frame or cloche until they are growing away well. If hoping to grow them as perennials, then it is better to grow them on in the greenhouse for their first year and to plant them out in early summer of the following year. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Overwinter them in a warm greenhouse and plant out after the last expected frosts.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun[11]. Tolerates most soils but prefers a light sandy soil[3]. Plants are adapted to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions[7]. Kenaf is reported to tolerate an annual precipitation in the range of 57 to 410cm, an annual temperature range of 11.1 to 27.5°C and a pH in the range of 4.3 to 8.2 (though it prefers neutral to slightly acid)[14]. The plant is frost sensitive and damaged by heavy rains with strong winds[14]. Kenaf is widely cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical areas of the world, where it is grown mainly as a fibre crop but also for its seeds and leaves[14]. It is not very hardy outdoors in Britain, it really requires a frost free climate[3]. It can, however, probably be grown as an annual. A fast-growing plant, it can be harvested in 3 - 4 months from seed[16][17]. The plant requires temperatures in the range of 15 - 25°c[6]. It succeeds as a crop as far north in N. America as Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska[5]. Plants are daylight sensitive, they remain vegetative and do not flower until the daylength is less than 12.5 hr/day. Two weeks of very cloudy days will induce flowering as daylength approaches 12.5 hr[14]. The plant has a deep-penetrating taproot with deep-seated laterals[14]. Plants, including any varieties, are partially self-fertile[14].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  3. ? Encyclopaedia Britannica. 15th edition.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4

    ↩1↩2

  5. Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.

    ↩

  6. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

    ↩

  7. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  8. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  9. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  10. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  11. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  12. Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  13. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

  14. Duke. J. Handbook of Energy Crops - 1983-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13↩14↩15↩16↩17↩18

  15. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  16. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  17. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  18. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

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