While working at the Master Gardener office, I noticed a lone shrub scrabbling along the building’s foundation. To my Northern eye it looked like Japanese Maple, but then i saw the telltale flower of Cranberry Hibiscus, aka Hibiscus acetosella.
H. acetosella is a fast growing, hardy perennial in zones 8-11, reaching 3-5′ tall and 30″ wide the first year. The foliage is usually green to deep burgundy with 3-5 lobes and a jagged edge. It suckers and thickens quickly, and is best pruned around 3′ to encourage branching and a fuller appearance. A wonderful winter bloomer, it contrasts nicely with light green or chartreuse tropical plants.
This one needs pruning!
Cranberry hibiscus is thought to be a natural hybrid of H.asper and H.surattensis, two varieties originally cultivated for food in the southern DR Congo-Angola-Zambia region of Africa. All three have edible, tart shoots and leaves that chop easily for salads, but only H. acetosella retains its leaf color when stir fried or boiled as a spinach type side dish.
The flowers mature to shiny and showy burgundy pod-fruit-flower like complexities (actually, it’s the calyx that’s providing most of the show) used world-wide in warm-climate cuisine for tea and jam.
If allowed to grow too tall, the woody stems will bend and break, so pinch, pinch, pinch for a more compact, prettier shrub.
As a side note, Gardenfest Weekend is here! Can’t wait to show you all the beautiful booths and plants!
Until next time…
🙂 🙂 🙂
12 thoughts on “Cranberry Hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella)”
Comments are closed.
small house/BIG GARDEN 
hey, will be up tomorrow – you at gardenfest?
Yes! I will be at our booth from 1-3 so look for me!
I order Agua de Jamaica when I’m at a Mexican restaurant… I wonder if this is the variety of hibiscus they use for that drink.
The teas and other drinks are typically made from Hibiscus sabdariffa.
You show me your Gardenfest, and I’ll show you my snow. 🙂
just posted a few pics from Gardenfest! Did you get the snow today that my son is seeing in Boston? Looks absolutely dastardly!
Delicious, that cranberry hibiscus is a feast for the eyes. 🙂
Aren’t they pretty plants? I love the color of the flower!
We will be moving to Vero this year…I’ll have to make sure we attend Gardenfest the following year.
No way!!! You will love it here…such a pleasant community! Make sure you let me know when you arrive!
I’ll be happy to. Our home should be finished by May but we won’t move permanently until our home in New Hampshire is sold.
Using improving road crashes, there is have to comprehend the non-public damage
insurance claims method and deciding onn the best attorney for that occupation.