Flower-of-an-hour
It suits tropical, subtropical and temperate regions. It does best in a sunny position. It does not occur in hot humid tropical rainforest zones. It suits drier warmer places. It can grow in hot arid zones with a marked dry season. It grows between 2-2,635 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. Tasmania Herbarium.
Also known as:
Bladder Hibiscus, Bladder Ketnia, Etoke, Hatmi cicegi, Kihasihasy, Navadni oslez, Trailing hollyhock, Venice mallow, Waika sara, Ye xi gu miao
Synonyms
- Hibiscus africanus Mill.
- Hibiscus dissectus Wall.
- Hibiscus hispidus Mill.
- Hibiscus vesicarius Cav.
Edible Portion
- Leaves, Root, Pods, Flowers, Seeds, Vegetable, Flowers - tea
Where does Flower-of-an-hour grow?
Found in: Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Asia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Botswana, Britain, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Caribbean, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central Asia, Chad, China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, East Africa, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mediterranean, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, North Africa, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, SE Asia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Spain, Sudan, St Helena, Swaziland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Uzbekistan, West Africa, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Notes: There are about 220 Hibiscus species. Chemical composition (seed pods): Protein (crude) = 21.0% (dry). Fat = 0.8% (dry). Fibre (crude) = 8.4% (dry). Ash (insoluble) = 10.9% (dry). Carbohydrate (soluble): Starch = 7.3% (dry). Sucrose = 8.1% (dry). D-glucose = Ø% (dry). D-fructose = 0.7% (dry). Amino acids (g [16g N]-1): Aspartic acid = 14.4g. Threonine = 2.9g. Serine = 3.4g. Glutamic acid = 18.4g. Proline = 9.2g. Alanine = 3.8g. Valine = 4.1g. Cysteine (performic acid oxidation) = 0.6g. Methionine (performic acid oxidation) = 1.7g. Isoleucine = 2.9g. Leucine = 4.7g. Tyrosine = 2.3g. Phenylalanine = 3.2g. Lysine = 4.0g. Histidine = 1.7g. Arginine = 6.5g. Minerals: Sulphur = 0.27% (dry). Potassium = 0.65% (dry). Magnesium = 0.68% (dry). Calcium = 1.45% (dry). Na = 0.01% (dry). K = 2.51% (dry). Zinc = 94 mg/kg-1 (dry). Iron = 218 mg/kg- 1 (dry). Manganese = 35 mg/kg-1 (dry). Copper = 12 mg/kg-1 (dry).
Growing Flower-of-an-hour
Cultivation: Plants can be grown from seed or cuttings.
Edible Uses: The shoots and leaves are cooked and eaten. The pods are used in soups and stews. The pods are sun-dried and powdered and used later in food in Sudan. The seeds are eaten raw and have a sesame flavour. The flowers are used as a herbal tea.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shoots | - | 21 | 21.8 | - | - | 9.4 | |
| Leaves | 302 | 26.7 | 79.8 | - | - | 5.7 | 6.3 |
| Pods | - | - | - | - | - | - |
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