Bush Sorrel
Common name: Bush Sorrel, Wild Sour, Bush Althea
Botanical name: Hibiscus surattensis
Family: Malvaceae (Mallow family)
Synonyms: Furcaria surattensis
Bush Sorrel is a weak-stemmed, prostrate or climbing
plant covered with soft hairs and scattered prickles. The leaves are rounded,
up to 10 X 10 cm, and deeply and palmately 3- to 5-lobed, the lobes being
toothed. The flowers are yellow, with a dark center, and occur singly in leaf
axils. Petals are obovate, up to 6 cm long and 4 cm wide. This flower can be
easily identified by its unique false sepals, which are 8-10 in number. The
false sepals (actually bracts) are forked into a spoon-shaped outer part, and a
narrow linear inner part. But for this feature, the plant can be confused with
Deccan Hemp. The capsules are hairy and ovoid. The seeds are downy. Bush Sorrel
is found throughout the tropical world. Its leaves are commonly used as
pot-herb in many parts of Africa and Asia. Flowering: September-March.
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