FAMILY: Magnoliopsida:Dilleniidae:Malvales:Malvaceae
COMMON NAMES: roselle, rozelle, sorrel, red sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, Indian sorrel, Guinea sorrel, sour-sour, Queensland jelly plant, jelly okra, lemon bush, Florida cranberry, oseille rouge, oseille de Guinée, quimbombó chino, sereni, rosa de Jamaica, flor de Jamaica, agrio de Guinea, quetmia ácida, viña, viñuela, vinagreira, azeda de Guiné, cururú azédo, quiabeiro azédo, zuring, karkadé, carcadé
GENERAL INFORMATION: More than 300 species of hibiscus can be found around the world, growing in both tropical and subtropical regions. Most varieties are used as ornamental plants, but the swollen red calyces of the sabdariffa type are dried and brewed into teas, and are also used in the processing of juices, jellies, jams, ice cream, syrup, gelatin, refreshing beverages, pudding, cakes, sherbets, butter, pies, sauces, tarts, and other desserts and flavors. In the West Indies and elsewhere in the tropics the fleshy calyces are used fresh for making roselle wine. Tender leaves and stalks are eaten as salad and as a pot-herb and are used for seasoning curries. Seeds have been used as an aphrodisiac coffee substitute. Fruits are edible (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk, 1962). Perry cites one study showing roselle's usefulness in arteriosclerosis and as an intestinal antiseptic (Perry, 1980). Roselle is cultivated primarily for the bast fiber obtained from the stems. The fiber strands, up to 1.5 m long, are used for cordage and as a substitute for jute in the manufacture of burlap.
DESCRIPTION: Erect, mostly branched, annual; stem to 3.5 m tall, variously colored dark green to red; leaves alternate, glabrous, long-petiolate, palmately divided into 3–7 lobes, with serrate margins; flowers large, short-peduncled, red to yellow with dark center; capsules 5 cm long, 5.3 cm wide; root a deep penetrating taproot. In australia the plant flowers in late summer.
USES IN FOLK MEDICINE: Reported to be antiseptic, aphrodisiac, astringent, cholagogue, demulcent, digestive, diuretic, emollient, purgative, refrigerant, resolvent, sedative, stomachic, and tonic, roselle is a folk remedy for abscesses, bilious conditions, cancer, cough, debility, dyspepsia, dysuria, fever, hangover, heart ailments, hypertension, neurosis, scurvy, and strangury. The drink made by placing, the calyx in water, is said to be a folk remedy for cancer. Medicinally, leaves are emollient, and are much used in Guinea as a diuretic, refrigerant, and sedative; fruits are antiscorbutic; leaves, seeds, and ripe calyces are diuretic and antiscorbutic; and the succulent calyx, boiled in water, is used as a drink in bilious attacks; flowers contain gossypetin, anthocyanin, and glucoside hibiscin, which may have diuretic and choleretic effects, decreasing the viscosity of the blood, reducing blood pressure and stimulating intestinal peristalsis. In Burma, the seed are used for debility, the leaves as emollient. Taiwanese regard the seed as diuretic, laxative, and tonic. Philippines use the bitter root as an aperitive and tonic (Perry, 1980). Angolans use the mucilaginous leaves as an emollient and as a soothing cough remedy. Central Africans poultice the leaves on abscesses. Alcoholics might consider one item: simulated ingestion of the plant extract decreased the rate of absorption of alcohol, lessening the intensity of alcohol effects in chickens (Watt and Breyer-Brandwijk). Hibiscus has been used to ease indigestion, relieve colds and respiratory trouble, and as an aid to circulation. Hibiscus is also a natural source of Vitamin C.
LOCATION: Originally native to tropical Africa, roselle is grown in the subtropics and tropics worldwide and has escaped cultivation and become naturalized in tropical America, Asia and Australia.
CULTURE: Roselle is susceptible to root knot nematodes, so it may not be able to grow in the same place year after year. Responds well to mulch. Roselle will only start blooming when the days are getting shorter in late Summer, early Autumn. Likes a full sun and regular watering.
PROPAGATION: Roselle is an annual propagated from seed.
HARVEST & TASTE: Roselle juice is similar to cranberry juice, but not as bitter. The calyces are harvested while they are still tender and juicy, about 10 days after the flowers appear. The plants will continue to flower and produce if kept picked. HOW TO MAKE A REFRESHING DRINK: Remove and discard the seed pods from the calyces. Bring 2 quarts (1.9 l) of calyces and 1 quart (1 l) of water to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, then strain and use the juice with sugar to make a refreshing cranberry-like drink, or make jelly or wine as you would with any fruit juice. The strained pulp can be used for jam or pie.
JAM: 1 kg of hibiscus fruit - remove the seed pods so just the calyces remain. Add 3 cups of water and boil until tender, about 20 minutes. Add the juice of 3 lemons and 1 kg of sugar. Boil until the mixture thickens, for about 20 minutes.
SYRUP/CORDIAL: This syrup will keep for at least a year. Once opened, it will keep for months if refrigerated. The syrup is delicious over crepes, fresh fruit, custard, ice cream. To make cordial, a very small quantity of syrup can be added to a glass and filled with water. The syrup can also be added to milk to make a delicious drink. METHOD: 5 cups sugar; 4 cups water; 4 cups calyces, chopped. Heat the sugar and water in a large saucepan until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the calyces and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer gently until the volume of liquid is reduced by a third. Remove from the heat and strain. Bottle the syrup while still hot into clean bottles and seal. The strained calyces can be eaten as a dessert with ice-cream or custard.