Wild sorrel
Hibiscus asper

Family: Malvaceae

What it is like

An annual herb. It grows 2 m high. The stems have fine prickles. The leaves are simple and alternate. The leaf stalks can be 1 cm to 18 cm long. The leaves blade is narrowly oval and can have 3-5 shallow lobes. The leaves are 18 cm long by 14 cm wide. There can be teeth along the edge. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. They can occur singly or in clusters. The petals are yellow with a red-purple base. The fruit is an oval capsule. The seed are dark brown and kidney shaped. They are 4 mm long.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the Sahel. It grows in fallow fields and on the edges of forests.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sahel, Senegal, Togo, West Africa

How it is used for food

The leaves are cooked and eaten as a vegetable. The young fruits are used to thicken soups.

It is occasionally cultivated as a vegetable. It is a minor vegetable.

Edible parts

Leaves, vegetable, fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Baguitche-di-mato, Bere, Biri, Bissao, Bussaga, Folere, Kudiass, N'coco, Sangume, Tikansibouoti, Tikli

Synonyms

Hibiscus asper var. punctatus (A. Rich.) Berhaut; Hibiscus cannabinus var. chevalieri Hochr.; Hibiscus cannabinus var. punctatus (A. Rich.) Hochr.; Hibiscus cordofanus Turcz.; Hibiscus unidens Lindl.; Hibiscus verrucosus Guill. & Perr.; Hibiscus verrucosus var. punctatus A. Rich.; Ketmia glandulosa Moench;