Abelmoschus sagittifolius seeds
Abelmoschus sagittifolius seeds
Abelmoschus sagittifolius is a perennial plant from the Malvaceae family. The plant’s synonyms are Abelmoschus coccineus, Hibiscus sagittifolius and Hibiscus bellicosus. It is native to northern Australia and grows well in slope grassy, open and distributed regions. For this reason, it is common in subtropical and tropical forests. Abelmoschus sagittifolius is mostly distributed in Malaysia, China and India. It grows to a height of about 1m tall and is often confused by Abelmoschus moschatus. The plant has a relatively long life span.
Hibiscus bellicosus plant is hairy on its branches at its younger age. The roots of this plant are often fleshy and thick. The leaves of this plant are often long, broad and are lobed differently. Some have palm lobes and some palmate lobes. The margins of the leaves are always serrated and have hair on the upper part with sparsely spiky underneath. The petiole of the plant is longer than the leaf lamina having a height of about 5-9 cm. The plant has 5 calyxes that are lobed and hairy. Abelmoschus sagittifolius has red flowers with the white, yellow and near to pink colour at the centre. These flowers attract bees and butterflies when it blooms. The blooming period of the flowers is early summer and at times late spring. In late summer, the fruits get dry and produce seeds. The plant withstands harsh weather conditions, both the cold and dry seasons but is often affected by pests.
The flower of Hibiscus bellicosus plant is bisexual. This means that the plant has both the female (gynoecium) and male (androecium) organs and can, therefore, have self-fertilisation that is done through pollination by the insects majorly the bees and butterflies or by self through cross-pollination. The seeds produced by the plant after reproduction can be dispersed by the birds or animals, autochory or humans.
The plant is used for medical purposes in several regions. China uses the roots of Abelmoschus sagittifolius as a drug to heal coughs with sputum. The fruit of this plant is edible and is often used as food. The leaves of the young Abelmoschus sagittifolius plant are eaten as a vegetable and are often a good browse for the animals. In some cases, Abelmoschus sagittifolius plant is seen as an ornament because of its beautiful flowers as it blossoms. The fruit of this plant is also eaten by the birds that also disperse its seeds.
