Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID644020a127710977936109 |
| Scientific name | Hibiscus rosa-sinensis |
| Authority | L. |
| First published in | Sp. Pl. : 694 (1753) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Across South Asia and adjacent regions, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower infusions are used as mild expectorant teas for coughs and as simple decoctions for feverish colds and sore throats, often paired with warm water and a little honey. The 19th-century pharmacopeia of India recorded these fluids as “cooling” astringent remedies (J. D. Hooker, 1893), and later Indian materia medica described floral infusions for throat irritations and febrile colds (Dutta, 1962). In West and Central African contexts, notably Nigeria, the warm infusion of fresh flowers is applied as an eye wash for red or irritated eyes, a practice widely reported in ethnobotanical surveys (Okwu and Okwu, 2004). In the Philippines and other parts of maritime Southeast Asia, crushed flower infusions are taken for digestive upset and as a soothing tonic, as noted in comparative ethnomedicine reviews (Santos, 1972). Each of these applications specifies the flower as the plant part used.
To make a mild flower tea (for general use in adults), measure 6–8 freshly harvested H. rosa‑sinensis flowers (about 15–20 g) or 1–2 teaspoons of dried petals and pour 250 ml of near‑boiling water over them. Cover and steep 5–8 minutes, then cool briefly and strain. Drink warm, not exceeding two cups per day. Not recommended during pregnancy, and do not put hot liquid in the eye; if using as an eye wash, cool the infusion to comfortably warm before gently bathing the eyelids.
Well‑established constituents in the petals include anthocyanins such as cyanidin‑3‑O‑glucoside and cyanidin‑3‑O‑rutinoside, flavonoids like quercetin glycosides, and hydroxycitric acid; these compounds provide the reddish anthocyanin pigments and contribute known antioxidant and astringent properties that plausibly underlie the soothing, slightly anti‑irritant action seen in the above traditional preparations.
Contemporary ethnobotanical surveys continue to list H. rosa‑sinensis as a common home and roadside ornamental in these regions (Sharma and Jindal, 2022), and its flowers remain present in traditional kits for cough, fever, and ocular soothing, while also attracting modern research interest in its antioxidant profile.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Fresh whole flowers are traded as ornamental cut material for wreaths, garlands, and floral arrangements. Flowers are also macerated to yield a dark, water‑soluble aqueous extract used as a natural pigment and pH indicator.
Industrial and craft applications:
The red aqueous flower extract is employed as a natural dye for textiles (including cotton, wool, and silk) and for coloring paper and cordage; it also serves as a biological stain for laboratory work. Flowers have been used as a polishing agent for leather, shells, and metallic surfaces.
Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
The flowers, particularly the calyces and corollas, provide anthocyanins (e.g., cyanidin‑ and delphinidin‑glycosides) that act as a water‑soluble natural food colorant; extract solids are used at low levels as a coloring ingredient in foods and beverages when permitted by national food‑additive regulations. Floral parts are processed into jams, jellies, syrups, and confections primarily as a colorant and flavoring component.
Colorants and tanning:
Flower anthocyanins yield blue‑red hues (pH‑dependent: pink in acidic media, blue in alkaline), with modest lightfastness; they are therefore used as natural textile and food colorants and as acid–base indicators. Uses as a leather tannin are minor and not standardized.
Wood and fiber:
Data on timber or fiber use are sparse. Small stems occasionally furnish craft material for miniatures or floral displays.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
Perfumery use is limited to floral accords derived from extracts. The aqueous extract and concentrated forms (including distillates and oleoresins) are used in hair and skin care as a clarifying or conditioning agent and as a natural colorant in color‑cosmetic formulations. No specific fragrant constituents are widely reported as commercial aroma chemicals.
Properties relevant to use:
The red color derives from anthocyanins with delphinidin and cyanidin chromophores; pH‑dependent color change and moderate lightfastness characterize dye and indicator behavior. Water‑soluble polymers and mucilaginous components contribute to viscosity and conditioning properties in cosmetic formulations.
Standards and regulation:
National food‑additive regulations govern the permitted use and maximum levels of natural colorants; colorant registrations (e.g., “CI Natural Red 33” or national equivalents) and Good Manufacturing Practice requirements apply to cosmetic uses.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Flowers are produced in horticulture as ornamental stock; harvests focus on fresh-cut and processed petal material. Cultivation as an ornamental perennial implies low‑input propagation and seasonal flower yields rather than field-scale cropping for industrial supply.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Hibiscus festalis | Salisb. | Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton : 383 (1796) |
| Hibiscus rosiflorus | Stokes | Bot. Mat. Med. 3: 543 (1812) |
| Hibiscus tricolor | Dehnh. | Cat. Horti Camald. , ed. 2: 20 (1832) |
| Hibiscus arnottii | Griff. ex Mast | Fl. Brit. India [J. D. Hooker] 1(3): 844. 1875 [Feb 1875] |
| Hibiscus fulgens | hort. ex W.H.Baxter | Suppl. Hort. Brit. [Loudon] 563. 1850 ; third additional suppl. to Loudon's Hortus Britannicus published in new ed. [4], cited in IK as 'Hort. Brit. Suppl. iii.'. |
| Hibiscus androphoropetaloides | Pancher | Tahiti : 228 (1860) |
| Hibiscus metallicus | B.S.Williams | Nursery Cat. (B.S.Williams) 1869(Spring): 27 (1869) |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. carneoplenus | Sweet | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. flore-pleno | Seem. | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. genuinus | Hochr. | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. rubroplenus | Sweet | |
| Hibiscus rosiflorus var. simplex | Stokes | |
| Hibiscus carminata-perfecta | W.Bull | |
| Hibiscus fulgidus | W.Bull | |
| Hibiscus miniatus-semiplenus | W.Bull | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. kermesinus | W.Bull | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. zebrinus | Van Geert | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. lucien-lindenii | N.E.Br. | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. magnificus | Van Geert | |
| Hibiscus rosiflorus var. plenus | Stokes | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. variegatus | Sweet | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. flavoplenus | Sweet | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. luteoplenus | Sweet | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. fulgidus | W.Bull | |
| Hibiscus rosa-sinensis var. vivicans | W.Bull |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | china rose |
| English | chinese hibiscus |
| English | shoeblackplant |
| English | shoeflower |
| English | hawaiian hibiscus |
| English | rose of china |
| English | english shoe-flower |
| English | shoe-black plant |
| English | hibiscus rosangel |
| Spanish | rosa china |
| Spanish | la rosita |
| Spanish | hibiscus festalis |
| Spanish | hibiscus fulgens |
| Spanish | hibiscus arnottii |
| ace | darah keubeue |
| Arabic | هبسكس وردي صيني |
| Arabic | خطمي وردي صيني |
| Arabic | بوق صيني |
| Arabic | بوكسيا |
| Arabic | حب مسك صيني |
| Arabic | هبكسوس صيني |
| Arabic | حب المسك |
| Arabic | هيبسكس |
| Azerbaijani | Çin hibiskusu |
| Azerbaijani | Çin qızılgülü |
| Belarusian | Кітайская ружа |
| bew | uribang |
| Bulgarian | китайски хибискус |
| Bengali | জবা |
| Czech | chinesischer roseneibisch |
| Czech | ibišek čínský |
| German | chinesischer roseneibisch |
| German | zimmer-hibiskus |
| dtp | bolimbingan |
| Estonian | rooshibisk |
| Persian | ختمی چینی |
| Finnish | kiinanruusu |
| French | rose de chine |
| hak | thai-fùng-fâ |
| Hebrew | היביסקוס סיני |
| Hindi | हिबिस्कस रोसा-सिनेंसिस |
| Hindi | गुलाब मैलोशूब्लैक पौधा |
| Hindi | चाइना गुलाब |
| Hindi | चीनी हिबिस्कस |
| Hindi | हवाईयन हिबिस्कस |
| Hindi | ला रोजिता |
| Upper Sorbian | chinska róžowa popla |
| ht | choublak |
| Hungarian | hawaii-rózsa |
| Hungarian | rózsamályva |
| Hungarian | szobai hibiszkusz |
| Hungarian | kínai hibiszkusz |
| Armenian | չինական վարդ |
| hyw | Չինական Վարդ |
| iba | kenunsung |
| Indonesian | kembang sepatu |
| Indonesian | bunga raya |
| Indonesian | bunga sepatu |
| Indonesian | worawari |
| Indonesian | kembang mawar |
| Indonesian | rawr |
| Japanese | ハイビスカス |
| Japanese | 仏桑花 |
| Japanese | ブッソウゲ |
| jv | wora-wari |
| jv | kembang sepatu |
| Korean | 불상화 |
| Korean | 부상화 |
| Lithuanian | kinrožė |
| Lithuanian | tikroji kinrožė |
| Latvian | havajas puķe |
| Latvian | Ķīnas roze |
| lzh | 扶桑 |
| mi | kaute |
| Macedonian | кинеска роза |
| Macedonian | кинеска слезовина |
| Malayalam | ചെമ്പരത്തിപ്പൂവ് |
| Malayalam | ചെമ്പരുത്തി |
| Malayalam | ചുവന്ന ചെമ്പരത്തി |
| mnc | ᠨᡳᠮᠠᡵᡳ ᡳᠯᡥᠠ |
| mnw | ဇဗ၊ ပ္ကဴ |
| Marathi | जास्वंद |
| Malay | pokok bunga raya |
| Malay | bunga sepatu |
| Malay | kembang sepatu |
| Malay | kembang warawari |
| Malay | bunga raya |
| Burmese | ခေါင်ရန်း |
| nan | hû-song-hoe |
| Nepali | जिभ्रे फूल |
| Dutch | chinese roos |
| Dutch | schoenpoetsplant |
| Dutch | schoensmeerplant |
| Oriya | ଫୁଲ: ମନ୍ଦାର |
| Oriya | ମନ୍ଦାର ଫୁଲ |
| Oriya | ମନ୍ଦାର |
| Polish | ketmia róża chińska |
| Punjab | سالو |
| Portuguese | graxa-de-estudante |
| Portuguese | mimo-de-vênus |
| pwn | lingsulj |
| Russian | Китайская роза |
| Russian | Китайский гибискус |
| Russian | Китайский розан |
| Russian | Бунгарайя |
| Russian | Гибискус китайская роза |
| Russian | Гибискус китайский |
| sa | जपापुष्पम् |
| sat | ᱡᱚᱵᱟ ᱵᱟᱦᱟ |
| sd | عجائب گھر |
| Sinhala | වද |
| Sinhala | බදුවද |
| Slovak | ibištek čínsky |
| smn | kiinaruusu |
| su | kembang sapatu |
| Swedish | hibiskus |
| Swedish | ibisros |
| Swedish | kinesisk ros |
| Tamil | செம்பருத்தி |
| Tamil | செவ்வரத்தம் பூ |
| Tamil | செவ்வரத்தை |
| Telugu | ఎర్రమందారం |
| Telugu | మందారం |
| Telugu | ముద్ద మందారం |
| Telugu | ముద్దమందారం |
| Telugu | మందార |
| Thai | ชบา |
| Tonga | kaute |
| Turkish | Çingülü |
| Turkish | Çin gülü |
| Turkish | japon gülü |
| Ukrainian | Гібіскус китайський |
| Ukrainian | китайська троянда |
| Ukrainian | гібіск китайська рожа |
| Urdu | اَرْکْ بَلَّبَھا |
| Urdu | ارک بلبھا |
| Vietnamese | dâm bụt |
| Vietnamese | bông bụp |
| Vietnamese | dâm bụt thân gỗ |
| Vietnamese | giâm bụt |
| Vietnamese | râm bụt |
| Chinese | 扶桑 |
| Chinese | 芙蓉叶 |
| Chinese | 扶桑叶 |
| Chinese | 扶桑根 |
| Chinese | 扶桑花 |
| Chinese | 朱槿 |
| Chinese | 佛桑 |
| Chinese | 大红花 |
| Chinese | 大紅花 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Africa click to expand
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East Tropical Africa
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
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Macaronesia
- Azores
- Madeira
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Middle Atlantic Ocean
- Ascension
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Northeast Tropical Africa
- Ethiopia
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West Tropical Africa
- Benin
- Gambia
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West-central Tropical Africa
- Cameroon
- Gulf Of Guinea Islands
- Zaïre
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Western Indian Ocean
- Comoros
- Mauritius
- Rodrigues
- Réunion
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East Tropical Africa
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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China
- China South-central
- China Southeast
- Hainan
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Eastern Asia
- Taiwan
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Western Asia
- East Aegean Islands
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China
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Asia-tropical click to expand
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Indian Subcontinent
- Assam
- Bangladesh
- East Himalaya
- India
- Nepal
- Pakistan
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Indo-China
- Andaman Islands
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Nicobar Nicobar
- Thailand
- Vietnam
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Malesia
- Borneo
- Lesser Sunda Islands
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Papuasia
- Solomon Islands
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Indian Subcontinent
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Northern America click to expand
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Mexico
- Mexico Central
- Mexico Gulf
- Mexico Northeast
- Mexico Northwest
- Mexico Southeast
- Mexico Southwest
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Southeastern U.S.A.
- Florida
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Southwestern U.S.A.
- California
-
Mexico
-
Pacific click to expand
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North-central Pacific
- Hawaii
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Northwestern Pacific
- Caroline Islands
- Marianas
- Marshall Islands
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South-central Pacific
- Cook Islands
- Line Islands
- Marquesas
- Pitcairn Islands
- Society Islands
- Tuamotu
- Tubuai Islands
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Southwestern Pacific
- Fiji
- Gilbert Islands
- Nauru
- New Caledonia
- Niue
- Samoa
- Tokelau-manihiki
- Tonga
- Vanuatu
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North-central Pacific
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Southern America click to expand
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Caribbean
- Bahamas
- Bermuda
- Cayman Islands
- Cuba
- Dominican Republic
- Haiti
- Jamaica
- Leeward Islands
- Puerto Rico
- Southwest Caribbean
- Trinidad-Tobago
- Windward Islands
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Central America
- Belize
- Costa Rica
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Honduras
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Northern South America
- Venezuela
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Southern South America
- Juan Fernández Islands
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Western South America
- Galápagos
-
Caribbean
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000723007 |
| UNII | 9M4P5ZIR89 |
| USDA Plants | HIRO3 |
| Tropicos | 19600046 |
| INPN | 101541 |
| Flora of Italy | 9465 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:560756-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2850448 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 282563 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 378513 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 183298 |
| Nature Serve | 2.153381 |
| IPNI | 560756-1 |
| iNaturalist | 62876 |
| GBIF | 3152559 |
| Freebase | /m/02jmwl |
| EPPO | HIBRS |
| EOL | 584771 |
| Elurikkus | 5078 |
| Calflora (Californian flora) | 12558 |
| USDA GRIN | 19075 |
| Wikipedia | Hibiscus_%C3%97_rosa-sinensis |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handbook of Acid-Base Indicators | R. W. Sabnis | CRC Press | 19-Feb-2010 |
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| Aliphatic compounds from Hybiscus rosa-sinensis | Munehiro Nakatani, Yuji Fukunaga, Tsunao Hase | Elsevier BV | 25-Jul-2002 |
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| Two aliphatic enone ethers from Hibiscus rosa-sinensis | Munehiro Nakatani, Kimi Matsuoka, Yasuto Uchio, Tsunao Hase | Elsevier BV | 25-Jul-2002 |
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| Isolation, stereochemical assignments and molecular mechanics calculation of ethyl β-l-arabinopyranoside | Sheng-Xiang Qiu, Fa-Huan Ge, Yasheen Zhou, Jian-Sheng Jia, Norman R Farnsworth, Michael E Johnson, Harry H.S Fong | Elsevier BV | 25-Jul-2002 |
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| Structures and synthesis of seed-germination inhibitors from hibiscus rosa-sinensis | Munehiro Nakatani, Takashi Yamachika, Takao Tanoue, Tsunao Hase | Elsevier BV | 25-Jul-2002 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |