Very bright colored Hibiscus On Tue, Sep 6, 2011 at 8:56 PM, ushadi Micromini <microminipho...@gmail.com>wrote:
> Malvaceae week 09 05 2011 UD 007 Hibiscus sabdariffa RED and Green fruits > RED and pink flowers > > > Dear All: > > > Family: Malvaceae > > > Genus: Hibiscus > > > Species: H. sabdariffa > > > Binomial name Hibiscus sabdariffa L. > > > Two main varieties… we are dealing with edible red fruits Rosselle > : *H. sabdariffa *var. *sabdariffa* > > * > * > > The plant I present here was in a pot of soil, about 5 feet tall, at the > tail end of its life, all fruits were ripe and leaves were mostly gone … > few flowers remained… flowers were deep red… about 5 inches across, 2.5 > to 3 inches long at nite when closed. The fruits were 1 to 1.5 inches > long and 07 to 0.8 inches at the widest, the thick calyx was about 2 mm > thick, and sour. The dried stems of the plant at the end of its life were > very difficult to cut, matter of fact long thin cuts were found on my palms > afterward when I had tried having a tug of war with the stems… it was > then that I discovered that the other variety was non edible and source > of jute like fibre… oh sure, but this : H. sabdariffa var. sabdariffa > was doing quite well for itself…. The fibres it had produced must have > been quite strong too…. > > > > Our Hibscus sabdariffa var. sabdariffa is an interesting vegetable…. > > > Its called Roselle… for the red colored fleshy calyx I guess… > > > Striking red calyx covers the green fruit inside… the red covering is what > is we are after… mucilaginous red gooey mass upon boiling becomes an > appetizing jelly with addition of sugar and cinnamon…. In Bengal. > > > In the west, we drink tea made of “Jamaican TEA” with Jamaican Rosselle, > a red concoction rich in vitamin C…. add a handful in boiling water … turn > off the heat, steep , add sugar, ice and enjoy a tall cool drink… > > > In Australia an enterprising young group of people had turned their land to > some exotic use… they used to put the whole red rosselle fruit in the wine > bottles and /or syrup in such a way that they looked very beautiful at the > bottom of the champagne glass when transferred from their bottle to the tall > champagne glass… for a few years was very popular with Brides to be… Do > not know if they are still in business. > > > > I have tried eating …cooked of course the green tiny fruit… but is > totally blah and too mucilaginous for my taste… I do make the jelly every > year now.... yum... > > > > Julia Morton has this to say about my plant: “The other distinct type of > roselle, H. sabdariffa var. sabdariffa, embraces shorter, bushy forms which > have been described as races: bhagalpuriensi, intermedius, albus, and ruber, > all breeding true from seed. The first has green, red-streaked, inedible > calyces; the second and third have yellow-green edible calyces and also > yield fiber. We are dealing here primarily with the race ruber and its named > cultivars with edible calyces; secondarily, the green-fruited strains which > have similar uses and which may belong to race albus. “ > > So I guess my plant was the *ruber race* . > > (refer ence for Ms Mortons’ essay is her famous book: > > Morton, J. 1987. Roselle. p. 281–286. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia > F. Morton, Miami, FL via URL: > http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/roselle.html > > > > <http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/roselle.html> > > > <http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/roselle.html> > > I present to you red flowered red calyxed fruited plant, red fruits from > the bazaar, green calyxed fruit from the market, and green fruited pink > flowered plant from the local garden.... > > > enjoy > > > <http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/roselle.html> > > > > Thanks, > > > > Usha di > > > Ps Dinesh ji I promsed I’ll do it today … here is the red flower… of H. > sabdariffa var. sabdariffa ..... > > > > -- Regards Dr Balkar Singh Head, Deptt. of Botany and Biotechnology Arya P G College, Panipat Haryana-132103 09416262964
