Kenaf, Brown Indianhemp
Hibiscus cannabinus
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Hibiscus cannabinus is a ANNUAL/PERENNIAL growing to 1.8 m (6ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower from August to September, and the seeds ripen from October to November. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. The plant is self-fertile. 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): 1.8
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
Original habitat is obscure, it probably arose in the tropics of Asia or America.
Conservation Status: Not listed.
Countries/locations it is found in
Afghanistan, Africa, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Central African Republic, Central America, Chad, China, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Hungary, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Northeastern India, Pakistan, Rwanda, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Ukraine, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Young leaves - cooked. Used as a potherb or added to soups. The leaves have an acid flavour like sorrel. Seed - roasted or ground into a flour and made into a kind of cake. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. The yield varies from 2 - 10 tonnes per hectare (or is it per acre?).
Oil: Oil
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Medicine
Rating: 2
The juice of the flowers, mixed with sugar and black pepper, is used in the treatment of biliousness with acidity. The seeds are aphrodisiac. They are added to the diet in order to promote weight increase. Externally, they are used as a poultice on pains and bruises. The leaves are purgative. An infusion of the leaves is used in the treatment of coughs. 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. The peelings from the stems have been used in the treatment of anaemia, fatigue, lassitude, etc.
Antibilious: Corrects the secretions of bile.
Aphrodisiac: Increases the sexual appetite.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.
Other
Rating: 3
Agroforestry Uses: Kenaf plants accumulate minerals such as selenium and boron, and can be used as a bioremedial tool for removing these metals from contaminated soil .Yields a fibre from the stem, a very good jute substitute though it is a bit coarser. The fibre strands, which are 1.5 - 3 metres long, are used for making rope, cordage, canvas, sacking, carpet backing, nets, table cloths etc. For the best quality fibre, the stems should be harvested shortly after the flowers open. The best fibre is at the base of the stems, so hand pulling is often recommended over machine harvesting. Yields of about 1.25 tonnes of fibre per hectare are average, though 2.7 tonnes has been achieved in Cuba. The pulp from the stems has been used in making paper. The seed contains between 18 and 35% of an edible semi-drying oil. It is rather similar to groundnut oil, obtained from Arachis hypogaea. The oil is also used for burning, as a lubricant and in making soap, linoleum, paints and varnishes. The seed yield varies from 2 to 10 tonnes per acre (or is it per hectare?). The stems have been used as plant supports for growing runner beans etc. The soot from the stems has been used as a black pigment in dyes. The stem has been used as a base for drilling fire.
Dye: Plants that provide dyes.
Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.
Friction sticks: Used for starting fires when there are no matches.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Paper: Related to the entry for Fibre, these plants have been specifically mentioned for paper making.
Plant support: Usually bamboos, used as canes in the garden for holding up plants.
Soap making: Plants used as an ingredient in making soaps. Does not include the essential oils, dyes and oils that are also used in making soap.
Soil reclamation: Plants that can be grown in such circumstances an the spoil tips of mines in order to restore fertility.
String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
How it is grown
Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun. Tolerates most soils but prefers a light sandy soil. Plants are adapted to a wide range of soils and climatic conditions. 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). The plant is frost sensitive and damaged by heavy rains with strong winds. 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. It is not very hardy outdoors in Britain, it really requires a frost free climate. It can, however, probably be grown as an annual. A fast-growing plant, it can be harvested in 3 - 4 months from seed. The plant requires temperatures in the range of 15 - 25°c. It succeeds as a crop as far north in N. America as Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. 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. The plant has a deep-penetrating taproot with deep-seated laterals. Plants, including any varieties, are partially self-fertile.
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: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Annual/Perennial
Hardiness: 6-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Kenaf, Brown Indian Hemp, Abirai, Ambada, Ambadi, Ambari, Baguitche-de-mato, Da ma jin, Dare, Deccan Hemp, Ebirai, Egwanyira, Etoke, Folere-burure, Gamboor, Gaynaru, Gogu, Gonkura, Kanjaru, Kanuriya, Karkandji al goz, Kasini, Kolokondwe, Kudrum, Lubeera, Masinzia, Meseka tenga, Mestapat, N'coco, Nalita, Narcino-branco, Nsorogwe, Nyaduwa, Nyarogena, Ombira, Patsan, Paw sai, Pitwa, Pulichhai, Pulimanji, Pundi, Queque, Sankola, Sheria, Sonkwe, Sosoori, Umhlakanye, Wuya,