Herb: Swamp Hibiscus


Latin name: Hibiscus diversifolius


Family: Malvaceae (Mallow Family)



Medicinal use of Swamp Hibiscus:

Abortifacient?.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Shrub

Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Habitat of the herb:

Mainly by the coast, especially near rainforests, occasionally on disturbed ground in Australia in New South Wales and Queensland.

Edible parts of Swamp Hibiscus:

Young leaf buds - they are good either raw or cooked. The young leaves can also be eaten, they are mild and quite mucilaginous, making a pleasant addition to the salad bowl. Flowers - raw or cooked with other foods. They have a very mild flavour and are very mucilaginous. They make a very acceptable and beautiful addition to the salad bowl. Root - it is edible but very fibrousy. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. The seed germinates inside 2 weeks and should be potted up into individual pots as soon as it is large enough to handle. Grow the plants on fast in a fairly rich compost and plant them out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. These will be difficult to overwinter unless kept in heated environment.

Cultivation of Swamp Hibiscus:

Mainly by the coast, especially near rainforests, occasionally on disturbed ground in Australia in New South Wales and Queensland.

Known hazards of Hibiscus diversifolius:

Some caution should be observed when using this plant because there is a report that it might be used to procure abortions. We have no further details.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.