Roselle (plant) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Roselle |
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| Roselle plant at Wave Hill, Bronx, New York, 2014, showing leaf, flower, bud and dark red calyces | |
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Hibiscus
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| Species: |
sabdariffa
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| Synonyms | |
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List
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Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a beautiful flowering plant that belongs to the Hibiscus family. It originally comes from Africa, most likely West Africa. Over time, it spread to places like the West Indies and Asia in the 16th and 17th centuries. Now, you can find it growing naturally in many parts of the world.
People use Roselle for different things. Its stems can be used to make strong bast fibre, which is a type of plant material. The dried, cranberry-tasting parts of the flower, called calyces, are often used to make a popular drink known as carcade.
Contents
What Roselle Looks Like
Roselle can be an annual plant (meaning it lives for one year) or a perennial (living for several years). It grows like a tall herb or a small, woody subshrub, reaching about 2 to 2.5 meters (6.5 to 8 feet) tall.
Its leaves are deeply divided into three to five parts and are about 8 to 15 centimeters (3 to 6 inches) long. They grow one after another along the stems.
The flowers are quite large, about 8 to 10 centimeters (3 to 4 inches) wide. They are usually white or pale yellow with a dark red spot at the bottom of each petal. Each flower has a thick, noticeable calyx at its base, which is about 1 to 2 centimeters (0.4 to 0.8 inches) wide. As the fruit grows, this calyx gets much bigger, up to 3 to 3.5 centimeters (1.2 to 1.4 inches), and turns a deep, bright red. This process takes about six months.
Names Around the World
Roselle has many different names depending on where you are!
Names in Asia
In Arabic, it's called karkadeh. The Burmese call it chin baung. In Chinese, it's luoshen hua, and in Thai, it's kraceī́yb. People in Laos know it as sőm phɔː diː, while in Khmer, it has names like slɜk cuː or məcuː baraŋ. In Vietnamese, it's called cây bụp giấm.
Names in South-East Asia and India
In parts of India, Roselle is known by many names. For example, it's Pundi Palle in Kannada, Chukur in Bengali, and Tengamora in Assamese. In Malayalam, it's mathippuli, and in Maharashtra, it's ambadi. In Tamil, it's pulicha keerai, and in Telugu, it's famously known as gongura.
In Mizoram, India, and Chin State, Myanmar, it's called Anthur Sen or Lakher Anthur in Mizo.
Names in Africa
In Nigeria, the Yoruba people call Roselle ìsápá, and the Hausa people call it yakuwa. The Hausa also call the seeds gurguzu and the outer part of the capsule zobo.
Among the Tiv Tribe in Central Nigeria, the plant is called "Ashwe."
Names in Australia
In Australia, Roselle is simply known as the rosella or rosella fruit.
Names in Latin America and the Caribbean
In Central America, Roselle is known as saril or flor de Jamaica. In many English-speaking Caribbean countries, like Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and other West Indies islands, it's called sorrel.
How Roselle is Used
What Roselle is Used For
In India, Roselle is mainly grown for its strong plant fibers found in its stem. These fibers are used to make ropes and can even be a substitute for jute in making burlap fabric.
The red calyces (the fleshy outer part of the flower) are sent to places like the United States and Europe, especially Germany. There, they are used to add natural red food coloring to different products. You can also find them in markets in places like France, often sold as flowers or syrup. The green leaves of Roselle are used like a spicy version of spinach in cooking. They add flavor to dishes, like the Senegalese fish and rice dish thieboudienne.
Roselle as a Vegetable
Roselle leaves are a popular vegetable in many cuisines.
In Andhra cuisine in India, Roselle is called gongura and is used a lot. The leaves are steamed with lentils to make a dish called dal. Another famous dish is gongura pacchadi, a type of pickle made by mixing fried leaves with spices.
In Burmese cuisine, the leaves are called chin baung ywet (meaning 'sour leaf'). They are very popular and affordable. People often fry them with garlic, dried or fresh prawns, and green chili, or cook them with fish. A light soup made from Roselle leaves and dried prawn stock is also a favorite.
In the Philippines, the leaves and flowers are used to add a sour taste to chicken stew, called tinola.
In Vietnam, the young leaves, stems, and fruits are used to make soups with fish or eel.
In Mali, dried and ground Roselle leaves, called djissima, are used in dishes like djissima-gounday, where rice is cooked with the leaves and lamb.
Roselle as a Drink
Roselle is famous for the refreshing drinks made from its calyces.
In the Caribbean, a drink is made by boiling fresh, frozen, or dried Roselle calyces in water. Sugar is added, and sometimes bay leaves and cloves too. This drink is often served cold and is called sorrel in many islands like Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica. It's especially popular during Christmas.
In Mexico and Central America, this drink is one of several inexpensive beverages called aguas frescas. It's often simply known as Jamaica (HAH-MY-CAH) in Mexican restaurants.
In countries like Ghana, Mali, and Senegal, the calyces are used to make cold, sweet drinks for social events. These are often mixed with mint leaves or fruit flavors.
The Middle Eastern and Sudanese "Karkade" is a cold drink made by soaking dried Karkade calyces in cold water overnight with sugar and lemon juice.
In Nigeria, Roselle is used to make a refreshing drink called Zobo. People often add natural fruit juices like pineapple and watermelon, and sometimes ginger.
In the US, you can find dried Roselle calyces sold as "flor de Jamaica" in health food stores for making tea. Some soft drink brands also make a Roselle-flavored carbonated drink. A "hibiscus cooler" is also made from the tea, a sweetener, and sometimes fruit juice. This red drink is popular among African-Americans, especially during celebrations like Juneteenth, as it connects to their West African heritage.
In the UK, dried calyces and ready-made sorrel syrup are easily available. Fresh calyces are imported for Christmas and New Year drinks, often mixed with rum.
In Africa, especially the Sahel region, Roselle is commonly used to make a sugary herbal tea sold on the street. Roselle tea is also common in Italy.
In Thailand, Roselle is usually drunk as a cool drink and can even be made into a wine.
Hibiscus flowers are often found in commercial herbal teas, especially those advertised as berry-flavored, because they give the drink a bright red color.
Roselle in Jams and Preserves
Roselle is also used to make delicious jams and preserves.
In Nigeria, Roselle jam has been made for a long time. It tastes similar to plum jam but is a bit more tart. The pectin, which helps jam set, comes from boiling the inner buds of the Roselle flowers. This means you can make Roselle jam with just the buds and sugar!
In Burma, the buds of the Roselle plant are made into 'preserved fruits' or jams. These jams are red and tangy.
In India, Roselle is commonly made into a type of pickle.
"Sorrel jelly" is made in Trinidad. Roselle jam is also a popular homemade product in Queensland, Australia.
Where Roselle is Grown
China and Thailand are the biggest producers of Roselle in the world. However, some of the best Roselle comes from Sudan and Nigeria. Other important places where it's grown include Mexico, Egypt, Senegal, Tanzania, Mali, and Jamaica, but most of what they grow is used in their own countries.
In the Indian subcontinent, especially around the Ganges Delta, Roselle is grown for its plant fibers. These fibers are mostly used locally, but they are also in demand by industries that use natural fibers.
Roselle is a newer crop in Malaysia. It was introduced in the early 1990s, and its commercial farming started in 1993. While the area planted with Roselle has changed over the years, it's becoming more known to people as a healthy drink. The calyces are also processed into sweet pickles, jelly, and jam.
Gallery
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A popular roselle variety planted in Malaysia: Terengganu. Roselle fruits are harvested fresh, and their calyces are made into a drink rich in vitamin C and anthocyanins.
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Two varieties are planted in Malaysia — left Terengganu or UMKL-1, right Arab. The varieties produce about 8 t/ha (3.6 short tons/acre) of fresh fruits or 4 t/ha (1.8 short tons/acre) of fresh calyces. On the average, variety Arab yields more and has a higher calyx to capsule ratio.
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Dried roselle calyces can be obtained in two ways. One way is to harvest the fruits fresh, decore them, and then dry the calyces; the other is to leave the fruits to dry on the plants to some extent, harvest the dried fruits, dry them further if necessary, and then separate the calyces from the capsules
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Roselle calyces can be processed into sweet pickle. This is usually produced as a by-product of juice production. However, quality sweet pickle may require a special production process.
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Variation in flower colour of roselle (a tetraploid species)
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Calyx (a collective term for sepals of a flower); Epicalyx (a collective term for structures found on, below, or close to the true calyx, also called false calyx). Some varieties show pronounced epicalyx structures, such as found in variety Arab (plural calyces).
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Decoring — removal of a seed capsule from the fruit using a simple hand-held gadget to obtain its calyx
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Some breeding lines developed from the mutation breeding programme at UKM.
Images for kids
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Roselle capsule
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Roselle plant at Wave Hill
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A roselle drink
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Harvesting roselle planted on sandy soils in Malaysia
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See also
In Spanish: Flor de Jamaica para niños
