Roselle

Overview

Roselle is a bushy hibiscus with red stems and fleshy red calyxes around its seed pods. The calyxes make a bright red, tangy tea, jam, and cordial, and the young leaves are a sour cooking green.

History

Native to West Africa, it is grown across the tropics and is known as sorrel in the Caribbean and as bissap in West Africa.

Growing on Kauaʻi

• Needs full sun and good drainage.
• Flowers when days get shorter in fall.

Planting and propagation

• Sow seeds about ½ inch deep in spring.
• Space plants 2–3 ft apart.

Care and maintenance

• Water in dry spells.
• Pinch young plants to encourage branching.

Role in the guild

A seasonal crop for sunny edges, alongside chaya and lemongrass.

Harvest

Pick calyxes about 10 days after the flowers drop, while plump and before the pods dry. Remove the green seed pod inside.

Uses

• Food and drink: calyxes for tea, jam, and cordial; young leaves cooked.
• Soil: spent plants as mulch.

Problems to watch

• Root-knot nematodes in sandy soils.
• Mealybugs.

General guidance for Kauaʻi; conditions vary by site. Check any new plant at plantpono.org before planting.