Chinese Hibiscus, Shoeblackplant, Hawaiian Hibiscus, Tropical Hibiscus, China Rose, Rose-of-China, S
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Orange, Pink, Red, Salmon, White, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early spring, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Vase.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is an evergreen Shrub growing to 2.5 m (8ft) by 2.5 m (8ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9 and is frost tender. It is in leaf all year. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 2.5
Where it is found
Not known in a truly wild situation
S. E. Asia.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Central America, China*, Congo, Costa Rica, East Africa, East Timor, France, Ghana, Greece, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Italy, Kiribati, Laos, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Marquesas, Marshall Islands, Mediterranean, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nauru, Nepal, Pacific, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pohnpei, Portugal, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Sierra Leone, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young leaves are sometimes used as a spinach substitute. A nutritional analysis is available. Flowers - raw or cooked. 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. A nutritional analysis is available. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Colouring: edible dyes
Medicine
Rating: 3
Chinese hibiscus is a sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms. The flowers are aphrodisiac, demulcent, emmenagogue, emollient and refrigerant. 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. An infusion of the flowers is given as a cooling drink to ill people. The leaves are anodyne, aperient, emollient and laxative. A decoction is used as a lotion in the treatment of fevers. The leaves and flowers are beaten into a paste and poulticed onto cancerous swellings and mumps. The flowers are used in the treatment of carbuncles, mumps, fever and sores. 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. A paste made from the root is used in the treament of venereal diseases.
Anodyne: Relieves pain, it is milder than an analgesic.
Antispasmodic: Relaxes muscular spasms and cramps, calming nervous irritation.
Aperient: A mild laxative.
Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Demulcent: Soothes, lubricates and softens irritated tissues, especially the mucous membranes.
Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.
Emollient: Softens the skin, causing warmth and moisture.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Refrigerant: Cools the body.
VD: Used in the treatment of venereal disease
Other
Rating: 3
The juice from the petals is used in China as shoe-blacking and mascara. A dye is made from the petals. A good quality fibre is obtained from the stems. 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. 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.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.
Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.
Polish: Plants used to give a shine to metals, wood etc.
Hedge: Hedge
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Hedge, Standard, Seashore, Specimen. Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in a warm, sheltered position in full sun. A very ornamental plant, 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. Plants will often lose most of their leaves in cool winters, though they will normally regenerate quickly as the warmer weather returns. The flowers of Chinese hibiscus are very important in Hindu devotional ceremonies, being sacred to the Elephant God, Ganesh. 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. There are many named forms, selected for their ornamental value. Special Features:Attracts birds, Not North American native, Attracts butterflies, Blooms are very showy.
Propagating it: 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.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Hedge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Do not use during pregnancy or if planning children.
Its other names
Local names
Amapola, Aute samoa, Bup, Bunga raya, Bunga sepatu, Bussouge, Cha-baa, Chaba, Chembarathi, Chinese rose, Clavelon, Dam but, Dasavala, Dasindacha phula, Fasut jasum, Fu sang, Ghanti phul, Gugamela, Gumamela bulaklak, Japa, Jasavanda, Jasum, Jasut, Jasuva, Java pushpamu dasana, Java, Joba, Karibunamidi, Khaung-yan, Khaung-yan-ywet-hla, Kembang sepatu, Kembang sepatu mawar cina, Linyolo, Losi, Mamela, Mandaro, Mawkmnae, Pan-swe-le, Phurahong, Pushpam, Rooj, Rosa, Rudra, Saimaa, Sapattu mal, Semparuthi, Shoe flower, Te roti, Thelele, Vadamal, Watha wal,
Synonyms
Hibiscus boryanus. Hibiscus festalis. Hibiscus storckii