Native Rosella
Hibiscus heterophyllus
Family: Malvaceae
What it is like
Hibiscus heterophyllus is an evergreen Shrub growing to 1.8 m (6ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 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): 1.8
Where it is found
Moist eucalyptus forests, jungle gullies and rainforest edges.
Australia - New South Wales, Queensland.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 2
Leaves and young shoots - raw or cooked. Pleasantly acid. An excellent spinach substitute, the boiled leaves losing their acidity. Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked. A very mild flavour. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour. The roots of young plants are used.
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 1
A tough fibre obtained from the stems is used for making nets etc.
Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.
How it is grown
Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun. Suitable for waterside plantings. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it is unlikely to succeed outdoors even in the mildest areas of the country. However, it might be possible to grow it as a half-hardy annual, to flower in its first year from seed.
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; South Wall. By. West Wall. By.
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 9-11
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist