Hibiscus vitifolius

Tropical rose mallow

MalvaceaeLeavesFlowers

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(c) Grant Reed, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Flowers ?, Vegetable

The flowers and vegetative parts are edible.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows near the edge of dry rainforest.

Africa, Asia, Australia, Comoros, Congo DR, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, India, Indochina, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, SE Asia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Antigua & Barbuda, Armenia, Angola, Australia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bahrain, Burundi, Benin, Brunei, Bahamas, Bhutan, Botswana, Congo (DRC), Central African Republic, Congo (Republic), Cote d'Ivoire, Cameroon, China, Cuba, Cape Verde, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Algeria, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Grenada, Georgia, Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jamaica, Jordan, Japan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Comoros, St Kitts & Nevis, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Liberia, Lesotho, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar, Mongolia, Mauritania, Mauritius, Maldives, Malawi, Malaysia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Nepal, Oman, Philippines, Pakistan, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Sudan, Singapore, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sao Tome & Principe, Syria, Eswatini, Chad, Togo, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Trinidad & Tobago, Taiwan, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, St Vincent, Vietnam, Yemen, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How to Identify

A herb or low shrub. It grows 1.5 m tall. The leaves are alternate and can be simple or have 3-5 lobes. The leaves at the top of the plant are oval. They are 2-15 cm long by 1-18 cm wide. They are hairy and have teeth along the edge. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. They are pale yellow with a dark red spot at the base. They are about 3 cm long. The fruit is a capsule that is a flattened round shape. It is about 1 cm long.

How to Grow

Often found as a weed of cultivated crops within its native range, it has the potential to spread as a weed in other, suitable areas.

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the stem. Of good quality, it is used in combination with jute (Corchorus species))

Wikipedia

Source ↗

Hibiscus vitifolius, the grape-leaved mallow or tropical rose mallow, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It is native to the seasonally dry Old World tropics and subtropics, and has been introduced to the West indies. A perennial herb reaching 2 m (6 ft) and becoming woody at maturity, it is found in a wide variety of habitats, and is a weed of cultivation. It is used locally as a source of fiber, often mixed with jute.

Names & Synonyms

Bup la-nho

Abelmoschus vitifolius (L.) hassk.Fioria vitifolia (L.) MatteiHibiscus cuspidatus Edgew.Hibiscus heterotrichus DC.Hibiscus jatrophifolius A. Rich.Hibiscus lepidospermus Miq.Hibiscus obtusifolius Willd.Hibiscus strigosus Schumach. & Thonn.Hibiscus suarezensis Baill.Hibiscus vitifolius var. heterotrichus (DC.) Hochr.

References (4)

Melzer, R. & Plumb, J., 2011, Plants of Capricornia. Belgamba, Rockhampton. p 173
Mutie, F. M., et al, 2023, Important Medicinal and Food Taxa (Orders and Families) in Kenya, Based on Three Quantitative Approaches. Plants 2023, 12, 1145
PROTA
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew