Online Encyclopedia
Hibiscus
Hibiscus |
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bright pink hibiscus |- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background: lightgreen;" | Scientific classification |- style="text-align:center;" |
|- valign=top |Kingdom:||Plantae |- valign=top |Division:||Magnoliophyta |- valign=top |Class:||Magnoliopsida |- valign=top |Order:||Malvales |- valign=top |Family:||Malvaceae |- valign=top |Genus:||Hibiscus |} |- style="text-align:center; background:lightgreen;" !Species |- | See text |}
Hibiscus or rosemallow is a large genus (some 200 species) of flowering plants in the Family Malvaceae.
Many of these species are grown for their showy flowers and many are used as landscape shrubs. Hibiscus syriacus (Mugunghwa or "Rose of Sharon") is the national flower of South Korea, while Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Bunga Raya or "Chinese hibiscus") is the national flower of Malaysia. The ma‘o hau hele (Hibiscus brackenridgei) is the state flower of Hawai‘i.
In temperate zones, probably the most commonly grown ornamental species is Hibiscus syriacus, the common garden hibiscus, also known in some areas as the "Rose of Althea" or "Rose of Sharon" (but not to be confused with the unrelated Hypericum calycinum, also called the "Rose of Sharon"). In tropical and subtropical areas, the Chinese hibiscus (H. rosa-sinensis), with its many showy hybrids, is the most popular ornamental and landscape hibiscus.
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Species
about 200, including:
- H. arnottianus – Koki‘o
- H. brackenridgei – Ma‘o hau hele
- H. cannabinus – Kenaf
- H. clayi – Hawaiian hibiscus (red)
- H. furcellatus – ‘Akiohala
- H. kokio – Koki‘o ‘ula
- H. militaris - Halberd-leaved rose mallow
- H. moscheutos - Common rose mallow
- H. rosa-sinensis – Chinese hibiscus
- H. tiliaceus – Hau
- H. syriacus – Hibiscus
- H. waimeae – Koki‘o ke‘oke‘o
Economic uses
One species of Hibiscus, known as Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), is extensively used in paper making.
Medicinal uses
Extracts of some hibiscus species are claimed to have health benefits, including prevention of:
- Constipation
- Bladder infections
- Nausea
The studies that yielded these results are debated. An unspecified hibiscus plant is used to make a herbal tea, typically blended with rosehip.
Miscellaneous
The City of Hibiscus is an alias for the city of Chengdu in China.