Hibiscus physaloides
| Hibiscus physaloides | ||||||||||||
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Hibiscus physaloides | ||||||||||||
| Guill. & Perr. |
Hibiscus physaloides is a species of the mallow family (Malvaceae).
features
Hibiscus physaloides is an annual, herbaceous plant that reaches a height of 2 m. The stems are covered with weak, irritating hairs. The leaves are differently lobed three to seven times and covered on both sides with star hair. On the underside near the base there are various chalk-like fragments. The tip of the leaf blade is pointed, the leaf edge is serrated or notched irregularly.
The flowers, which stand individually in the leaf axils, have a diameter of about 9 centimeters. The outer calyx consists of seven to ten thread-like 6 to 10 mm long outer calyx leaves. The calyx has egg-shaped-elliptical hairy tips of up to 20 mm in length, which are fused 3 to 6 mm at their base. The corolla is yellow with a dark purple center. The egg-shaped capsule fruits have a length of about 15 mm and a diameter of about 10 mm.
Occurrence
Hibiscus physaloides occurs in the Cape Verde Islands , tropical Africa, South Africa , Madagascar and the Seychelles . The population of the Seychelles was at times regarded as an independent species, Hibiscus hornei Baker .
habitat
Hibiscus physaloides grows on dry, stony soils in old ruderal sites .
use
Hibiscus physaloides is a medicinal plant. The infusion from the leaves helps against dysentery and the roots are hemostatic.
literature
- John Gilbert Baker: Flora of Mauritius and the Seychelles: a description of the flowering plants and ferns of those islands. L. Reeve, London 1877, p. 23, online at Gallica (as Hibiscus hornei ).