Malvaceae FAMILY

Hibiscus physaloides

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

The plant is covered with irritating hairs[ 332 Title The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Publication Author Burkil. H. M. Publisher Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. Year 1985 - 2004 ISBN Description Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/ ].

Botanical Description

Hibiscus physaloides is an annual plant, occasionally perennating, usually growing 75 - 200cm tall[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of fibre.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Senegal to Eritrea and Ethiopia, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, northeastern S. Africa, Madagascar

HabitatDry woodland and bushland; dry stony places; secondary forest associations; open and gallery forest; savannah; roadsides; cultivations; fallow land; clearings; also ruderal; at elevations up to 1,000 metres[ 328 Title African Flowering Plants Database Publication Author Website http://www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/cjb/africa/recherche.php Publisher Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques. Year 0 ISBN Description Contains information on over 150,000 plant names (including synonyms) giving a description and habitat, plus a distribution map. ].