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Useful Tropical Plants

Hibiscus radiatus

Cav.

Malvaceae

+ Synonyms

Canhamo braziliensis Perini

Hibiscus cannabinus unidens Hochr.

Hibiscus lindleyi Wall.

Common Name: Monarch Rosemallow

Hibiscus radiatus
Flower
Photograph by: Not known
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Hibiscus radiatus Hibiscus radiatus Hibiscus radiatus

General Information

Hibiscus radiatus is an erect, branched perennial plant with stems that can become more or less woody and persist; it can grow about 1 metre tall with small prickles on the undersides of the leaves and along the stems[
1671
Title
Revision of Hibiscus section Furcaria (Malvaceae) in Africa and Asia
Publication
Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Bot.) 29( 1 ): 47-79
Author
Wilson F.D.
Publisher
 
Year
1999
ISBN
 
Description
 
].
The plant is widely cultivated in the Tropics and is also harvested from naturalized plants, being used as a food, medicine and source of fibre[
1671
Title
Revision of Hibiscus section Furcaria (Malvaceae) in Africa and Asia
Publication
Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Bot.) 29( 1 ): 47-79
Author
Wilson F.D.
Publisher
 
Year
1999
ISBN
 
Description
 
]

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

200
Title
The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Publication
 
Author
Huxley. A.
Publisher
MacMillan Press
Year
1992
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
Description
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
,
270
Title
Flora of N. America
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
,
1671
Title
Revision of Hibiscus section Furcaria (Malvaceae) in Africa and Asia
Publication
Bull. Nat. Hist. Mus. Lond. (Bot.) 29( 1 ): 47-79
Author
Wilson F.D.
Publisher
 
Year
1999
ISBN
 
Description
 

Range

Probably originated in the Asian tropics by hybridization of Hibiscus cannabinus with Hibiscus surattensis, widely naturalized throughout the tropics.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation, naturalized in deciduous forests in southern India.

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Medicinal Rating *
Other Uses Rating *  *
HabitShrub
Height1.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details



This species is often confused with H. cannabinus, but it is an allotetraploid hybrid of H. cannabinus and perhaps H. surattensis[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Edible Uses

The leaves are edible[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Medicinal

The plant has medicinal uses[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Other Uses

A fibre obtained from the bark is used for cordage and textiles[
46
Title
Dictionary of Economic Plants.
Publication
 
Author
Uphof. J. C. Th.
Publisher
Weinheim
Year
1959
ISBN
-
Description
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
].

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ or in containers. Germination is usually fairly rapid and no special pretreatment is needed, although germination will be faster if the seed is abraded or soaked prior to sowing[
397
Title
Australian Native Plants Society
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://anpsa.org.au/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
]. Prick out container-grown seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions when they are 10cm or more tall.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood in a frame. They generally strike readily, particularly if cuttings are taken on an angle through a node and rooting hormone is applied to their ends[
397
Title
Australian Native Plants Society
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://anpsa.org.au/index.html
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
A series of fact sheets on Australian plants. Good photographs, brief description and information on uses, habitat, range, cultivation etc.
].
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-12-10. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Hibiscus+radiatus>

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