Samuel Yang
on May 19, 2018 at 07:20 amAbelmoschus manihot
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Malvales
Family: Thymelaeaceae
Genus: Stellera
Species: A. manihot
Binomial name: Abelmoschus manihot
Synonym: Hibiscus manihot
Common name: Aibika, Okra, Tororo aoi, Sunset muskmallow, Sunset hibiscus, Edible Hibiscus, Hibiscus manihot
Description:
Sweet Hibiscus is characterized by big and glorious, 5-6 inch across, pale yellow Hibiscus type flowers with deep burgundy & garnet eyes. Growing to 5 feet tall, this stout and almost woody annual bears magnificent, tropical looking leaves, and so it looks cool even before it blooms mid-summer. There can be big differences in leaf shape, colour and production and flavour but leaves are usually palmate, about 4 inches across. It grows very quickly. Cuttings taken in spring can reach over 2 metres by autumn in sub-tropical areas. While the large yellow flowers are very ornamental, the importance of this plant is that it is one of the world’s most nutritious leafy vegetables because of its high protein content. The leaves are tender and sweet and can be served raw or steamed