Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Malvaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Indian sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, Jamaican sorrel, red sorrel, rosella, roselle, sorrel

French: oseille de Guinée

Spanish: acedera de Guinea, rosa de Jamaica, serení

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Shrub to 2 m high with red stems.  Leaves simple, alternate, blade ovate to round in outline, 4-15 cm long, typically deeply three-lobed with toothed margins but sometimes unlobed.  Flowers anytime during the year; flowers solitary, axillary, with a calyx that becomes red and fleshy at maturity, below which is a whorl of ten narrow bracts, the epicalyx.  Corolla of five free obovate petals 4-5 cm long, pale yellow with a purple base, surrounding the staminal column that encloses the five-lobed style.  Fruit an ovoid capsule 2-3 cm long"  (Whistler, 2000; p. 255).

"Annual herb to 1.5 m tall; stems reddish. Leaves variable in shape from unlobed to deeply 3-lobed, margins finely serrated. Flowers mostly singular in the leaf axils with large pinkish-white petals, red at base. Calyx red, fleshy. Capsule 5-valed, covered with sparse hairs. Seeds dark brown with tufts of microscopic hairs" (Smith, 2002; p. 60).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "sparingly cultivated and sometimes naturalized" (Smith, 1981; pp. 418-419). In Australia, "disturbed areas, riparian habitats and Eucalyptus savanna. Competes with native species." (Smith, 2002; p. 60).

Propagation:  "Seed is dispersed when eaten by birds and animals and expelled. Spread intentionally as a cultivated ornamental and food plant." (Smith, 2002; p. 60).

Native range:  Africa, now widespread in most tropical and subtropical countries (Smith, 2002; p. 60).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Dublon (Tonowas) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 162)
Federated States of Micronesia Chuuk Islands	Weno (Moen) Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 162)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Vanua Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (pp. 418-419) Voucher cited: DA 11797
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1981) (pp. 418-419) Vouchers cited: DA 2609, DA 5657
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 72)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (p. 411) Uncommon.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 162)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Lifou	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 98)
New Caledonia Îles Loyauté (Loyalte Islands)	Île Maré	introduced	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 98) Voucher cited: Baumann 14590
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 98) Vouchers cited: MacKee 15634, MacKee 28834
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 81)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 60)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	introduced cultivated	Smith, Nicholas M. (2002) (p. 60)

Additional information:  Morton, J. 1987. Roselle. p. 281-286. In: Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Hibiscus sabdariffa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Hibiscus sabdariffa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Smith, Albert C. 1981. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 2. 810 pp.

Smith, Nicholas M. 2002. Weeds of the wet/dry tropics of Australia - a field guide. Environment Centre NT, Inc. 112 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.