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Habitats
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Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;
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Edible Uses
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Edible Parts: Flowers; Leaves; Root.
Edible Uses: Colouring.
Young leaves are sometimes used as a spinach substitute[177, 183]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Flowers - raw or cooked[240]. 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[177, 183]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy[144]. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour[144].
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Composition
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Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
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Flowers (Fresh weight)
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- 0 Calories per 100g
- Water : 89.8%
- Protein: 0.06g; Fat: 0.4g; Carbohydrate: 0g; Fibre: 1.56g; Ash: 0g;
- Minerals - Calcium: 4mg; Phosphorus: 27mg; Iron: 1.7mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Potassium: 0mg; Zinc: 0mg;
- Vitamins - A: 0mg; Thiamine (B1): 0.03mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0.05mg; Niacin: 0.6mg; B6: 0mg; C: 4.2mg;
- Reference: [ 218]
- Notes:
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Medicinal Uses
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Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne; Antispasmodic; Aperient; Aphrodisiac; Astringent; Demulcent; Emmenagogue; Emollient; Poultice; Refrigerant; VD.
Chinese hibiscus is a sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms[238]. The flowers are aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and refrigerant[240]. 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[238, 240]. An infusion of the flowers is given as a cooling drink to ill people[272]. The leaves are anodyne, aperient, emollient and laxative[240]. A decoction is used as a lotion in the treatment of fevers[240]. The leaves and flowers are beaten into a paste and poulticed onto cancerous swellings and mumps[218]. The flowers are used in the treatment of carbuncles, mumps, fever and sores[218]. 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[240, 272]. A paste made from the root is used in the treament of venereal diseases[272].
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Other Uses
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Cosmetic; Fibre; Hedge; Hedge; Polish.
The juice from the petals is used in China as shoe-blacking and mascara[238]. A dye is made from the petals[272]. A good quality fibre is obtained from the stems[74]. 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[74]. 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[200].
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Cultivation details
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Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in a warm, sheltered position in full sun[200, 260]. 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[260]. Plants will often lose most of their leaves in cool winters, though they will normally regenerate quickly as the warmer weather returns[260]. The flowers of Chinese hibiscus are very important in Hindu devotional ceremonies, being sacred to the Elephant God, Ganesh[238]. 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[260]. There are many named forms, selected for their ornamental value[200].
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Propagation
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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.
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 You can download this page as a PDF
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Botanical References
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74200266
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Links / References
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[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
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Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
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[74]Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR.
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An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.
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[144]Cribb. A. B. and J. W. Wild Food in Australia.
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A very good pocket guide.
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[177]Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption.
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An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
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[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants.
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Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
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[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
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Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
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[218]Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China
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Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
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[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
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A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
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[240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement).
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Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
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[260]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2
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Excellent photos of over 1,100 species and cultivars with habits and cultivation details plus a few plant uses. Many species are too tender for outdoors in Britain though there are many that can be grown outside.
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[272]Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal
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Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.
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Subject : Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
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