Plant Story--The Beautiful Roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa

The roselle is a small hibiscus, Hibiscus sabdariffa, (cotton family, Malvaceae) that is grown as food, but pretty enough to be grown as an ornamental. Also known as Jamaican sorrel, roselle is a tropical perennial which can be grown outside the tropics as an annual. The stems are red, the leaves green, the veins in the leaf red. The flowers are white or yellow with dark centers. Around each flower are a series of fleshy red sepals and another circle of red bracts that look very similar. The sepals are gathered and eaten, sometimes under the name "hibiscus flowers."

roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa

Originating in or around Angola in tropical central Africa, rosettes reached the Caribbean early in the 16th century and were certainly in Asia in the 17th century. Now a world-wide minor tropical crop, leaf shape, leaf color and flower color vary greatly between regions. 

dark red roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa

Roselle's growth requirements make it clear why it is a tropical crop. Plants take 75-95 days from germination to mature fruit. The plants must be kept moist, watered daily if it doesn't rain. They do not grow well below 60°F. Roselles are also short-day plants, cued to produce copious fruit when the number of hours in the night is greater than the number of hours of daylight; in temperate climates, by the time nights are longer than days, the temperatures are cooling toward freezing. Roselles are killed by very light frosts. Under conditions they like, roselles produce big bushy plants than can be seven feet tall with dozens and dozens of fruits.

green roselle leaves

The most widely-known use of roselle fruits is mashed into a lemonade-like drink, called aqua de Jamaica in the Caribbean but with a dozen other names, for example karkade, sorrel, bissap around the world. The flavor has been compared to cranberries: pleasant, fruity, and just a little tart. Another major use of roselles is in herbal teas. Most hibiscus tea is made from roselle fruits even if the flowers shown on the package are of another species of hibiscus. Roselles add a beautiful red color to the tea. The fruit is also eaten fresh or cooked, or boiled down into a sweet-sour sauce. Leaves and stems can be eaten in salads and as greens. (recipes, more recipes). Be cautious trying these if you are allergic to any plant in the cotton family (Malvaceae), okra, Hibiscus esculentus, in particular. 

Roselle fruits are rich in polysaccharides, organic acids, and dark red pigments, all contributing to their nutritional value. Teas and other roselle products are used general tonics, and for coughs, colds, appetite loss and circulatory ailments. They are mildly laxative and diuretic. 

roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa, flower and fruit

One variety of roselle is grown for fiber. Improved in the 1920s by British East Indies government to produce fiber for sugar sacks. Today they are still used in sacking and in twine. Roselle stems make a bast fiber, soft and supple, often 3-5 feet long. Planted close together, fiber-crop roselles will grow 16 feet high (5 meters). 

Watch for roselles in tropical and subtropical gardens. They are pretty and easily recognized. 

Comments and corrections welcome.

References

the Editors of the Encyclopedia Brittanica. Roselle. Plant. Brittanica online. link (Accessed 9/14/24)

van Wyk, B-E. Food Plants of the World. Timber Press, Portland, OR.

Kathy Keeler

A Wandering Botanist

More at awanderingbotanist.com

Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AWanderingBotanist