Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Chinese Hibiscus
a perennial woody evergreen member of the Hibiscus genus in the family Malvaceae.
Taxonomy and growth
Uses
Edible uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
Young leaves are sometimes used as a spinach substitute[3][4]. A nutritional analysis is available[6]. Flowers - raw or cooked[8]. They can also be made into a kind of pickle or used as a purple dye for colouring foods such as preserved fruits and cooked vegetables[3][4]. A nutritional analysis is available[6]. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy[2]. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour[2].
- Product or use
- Colouring
- Plant part
- Flowers
- Plant part
- Leaves
- Plant part
- Root
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.
Chinese hibiscus is a sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms[7]. The flowers are aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and refrigerant[8]. They are used internally in the treatment of excessive and painful menstruation, cystitis, venereal diseases, feverish illnesses, bronchial catarrh, coughs and to promote hair growth[7][8]. An infusion of the flowers is given as a cooling drink to ill people[11]. The leaves are anodyne, aperient, emollient and laxative[8]. A decoction is used as a lotion in the treatment of fevers[8]. The leaves and flowers are beaten into a paste and poulticed onto cancerous swellings and mumps[6]. The flowers are used in the treatment of carbuncles, mumps, fever and sores[6]. The root is a good source of mucilage and is used as a substitute for marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis) in the treatment of coughs and colds[8][11]. A paste made from the root is used in the treament of venereal diseases[11].
- Product or use
- Anodyne
- Product or use
- Antispasmodic
- Product or use
- Aperient
- Product or use
- Aphrodisiac
- Product or use
- Astringent
- Product or use
- Demulcent
- Product or use
- Emmenagogue
- Product or use
- Emollient
- Product or use
- Poultice
- Product or use
- Refrigerant
- Product or use
- VD
Material uses
This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.
The juice from the petals is used in China as shoe-blacking and mascara[7]. A dye is made from the petals[11]. A good quality fibre is obtained from the stems[12]. In warm sub-tropical areas the fibres can be up to 3 metres long, but in Britain they are likely to be much shorter. The fibre is used for coarse fabrics, nets and paper[12]. Plants are often used for hedges and screens, though since they are not very cold hardy they are not suitable for this use in Britain[5].
- Product or use
- Cosmetic
- Product or use
- Fibre
- Product or use
- Polish
Ecology and functions
Environment
- Range
- S. E. Asia.
- Habitat
- Not known in a truly wild situation
- Light
- full sun
- Shade tolerance
- no shade
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- Zone 9+
- 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 a warm, sheltered position in full sun[5][9]. A very ornamental plant[1], it is not very frost-tolerant and needs to be grown in essentially frost-free areas. It might succeed outdoors in the very mildest areas of the country if given a very sheltered warm position. Alternatively, it might be possible to grow the plant as a tender annual by starting it off early in a warm greenhouse. If well-grown it can flower and set seed in its first year. This species grows very well in a frost-free conservatory in Northern Europe so long as it is in a sunny position and free from draughts[9]. Plants will often lose most of their leaves in cool winters, though they will normally regenerate quickly as the warmer weather returns[9]. The flowers of Chinese hibiscus are very important in Hindu devotional ceremonies, being sacred to the Elephant God, Ganesh[7]. Individual flowers are short-lived, in many modern cultivars the flowers wither after 24 hours though in many of the older cultivars they can last for 48 hours[9]. There are many named forms, selected for their ornamental value[5].
References
F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00
Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia. Fontana 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-00-634436-4
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
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
Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2 Pan Books, London. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-330-37376-5
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6
Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00