Abelmoschus manihot
| Abelmoschus manihot | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 9 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 7' |
| Speed: | Fast |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Early Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
Abelmoschus manihot (common name: aibika, formerly known as Hibiscus manihot)
Propagation: Seed - sow March in a warm greenhouse. The seed should germinate with two weeks, when it is large enough to handle prick it out into individual pots and plant out after the last expected frosts.
The seed can also be sown in situ in late April in areas with warm summers.
Cultivation: Easily grown in any well-drained soil in a sunny position[1].
Plants will tolerate occasional short-lived lows down to about -5°c so long as they are in a very well-drained soil[2].
A perennial plant, it is generally tender in the temperate zone but can be grown outdoors as an annual, flowering well in its first year and setting seed[1][K]. Plants will occasionally overwinter in a cold greenhouse[K]. It grows well in an ornamental vegetable garden[1].
Range: E. Asia - South-eastern Asia to Northern Australia.
Habitat: Wasteland and humid rocky hillsides[2]. In Nepal it grows at elevations of 700 - 1700 metres in rocky places with shrubs[3]. Grasslands, near streams and margins of farm land[4].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked[5][1]. Sweet and mucilaginous[5].
Flower buds - raw or cooked[5].
Medicinal: The bark is said to be emmenagogue[6]. A paste of the bark is used to treat wounds and cuts, with new paste being applied every 2 - 3 days for about 3 weeks[3].
In Nepal the root juice is warmed and applied to sprains[3].
The juice of the flowers is used to treat chronic bronchitis and toothache[3].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Phillips, Roger and Martyn Rix. Conservatory and Indoor Plants Volumes 1 & 2. Pan Books, London, 1998.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Manandhar, Narayan. Plants and People of Nepal. Timber Press, 2002.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.