MORTON: THE ROSELLE 415 nurseries, and some do so. Others transfer to of the world, is vital to human health and perhaps 4-year institutions to finish their studies, or they even to human survival. The existing human re switch to an allied field, e.g., Environmental sources and technical facilities of Florida's south Studies, at Florida International University, a new eastern coast, combined with the natural subtrop and growing part of the State University System ical environment here, equip this Research Cres at Miami. cent to assume a major role in the United States' tropical research program. Enough necessary work waits in the Research Crescent to keep every qual Discussion and Conclusion ified person busy for the forseeable future. Research in agriculture and allied fields has supported United States pre-eminence in food Literature Cited production and, correlatively, in world affairs for 1. Burditt, A. K., Jr., Soderholm, P. K., Spalding, D. H., and Knight, R. J., Jr. 1973. Seventy-five years of USDA many years. Hybrid corn, a product of genetics research at Miami. Proc. Fla. State Hort. Soc. 86:303-308. research begun in the northeastern United States 2. Campbell, C. W., and Malo, S. E. 1968. Three decades of tropical fruit improvement in Florida. Fla. A.E.S. Sun early in this century, helped win World War II. shine State Agr. Research Report 13(1): 39-40. 3. Rhodes, A. M., Campbell, C. W., Malo, S. E., and The rust-resistant and cold-hardy winter wheats, Carmer, S. G. 1970. A numerical taxonomic study of the products of plant introduction and agricultural re mango Mangifera indica L. J. Amer. Soc, Hort. Scu 95(2): 252-256. search, have fed the hungry of this nation and our 4. Smiley, N. 1960. The Fairchild tropical garden. Amer. Hort. Magazine 39(1): 1-13. friends in war and peace. 5. Teas, H. J., Leigh, W. H., et al. 1970. Tropical studies Continuing research in food and fiber produc at the University of Miami. U. of Miami, Coral Gables. 24 p. 6. Wait, L. H. 1948. Fairchild tropical garden—the first tion, particularly in tropical and subtropical parts ten years. Ronald Press, New York. 381 p. RENEWED INTEREST IN ROSELLE (HIBISCUS SABDARIFFA L.)r THE LONG-FORGOTTEN "FLORIDA CRANBERRY" Julia F. Morton often seen in native markets and these can be utilized as well as the fresh for cold drinks and Morton Collectanea, University of Miami jelly. In temperate regions where the fruits do Coral Gables not mature, the stems and leaves are utilized. Roselle seeds are edible and yield oil, and the Abstract. Roselle was once commonly growivin residue, serves as feed for chickens and cattle. central and southern Florida for its fleshy, red, ~l$L..salydariffa var. altissima is grown for its fiber. acid calyces, used for making cranberry-like sauce, jelly and other preserves, desserts and The genus Hibiscus, of the family Malvaceae, wine. The plant has been nearly extinct in this embraces 200 or more speciesV'mainly tropical and state since the mid-1950's, its common name has subtropical, ranging in form from herbs and sub- been applied to related but dissimilar species, shrubs to the large timber treej Hi elatus Sw.—the and seeds have been difficult to obtain. There was -blue mahoe of Cuba and Jamaica. Most important a brief flurry of requests for seed and informa as a food plant is okra, H. esculentus L. The most tion during the coal-tar-dye alarms of 1959 and widely admired member of the genus is the Chinese 1960. Today, there is a stronger resurgence of hibiscus, H. rosa-sinensis L., a woody shrub or interest on the part of food and beverage manu small tree of which numerous cultivars and hybrids facturers who anticipate further F&DA restric are among the most popular flowering plants of the tions on synthetic red colorants. Also, rising food warm climates of the world. costs and the trend toward "natural" foods and A minor ornamental in Florida and elsewhere revival of home-gardening, have created a new is the red-leaf hibiscus, H. eetveldeanus Wildem. demand for roselle and the seeds are again of & Th. Dur. (syn. H. acetosella Welw.) of tropical fered by dealers in rare plant materials. Africa which has red stems to 8 ft. high, 5-lobed, Throughout the tropics, the dried calyces are red or bronze leaves, and mauve, or red-striped 416 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 1974 yellow, flowers with a dark-red eye, succeeded by a erect, sparsely-branched annual to 16 ft. high, hairy seed pod enclosed in a red, ribbed calyx bear which is cultivated for its jute-like fiber in India, ing a basal fringe of slender, forked bracts. This the East Indies, Nigeria and to some extent in plant has been often confused with roselle, though Tropical America. The stems of this variety are its calyx is not fleshy and only the young leaves green or red and the leaves are green, sometimes are used for culinary purposes—usually cooked with red veins. Its flowers are yellow and calyces with rice or vegetables because of their acid flavor. red or green, non-fleshy, fibrous, spiny and not used True roselle is H. sabdariffa L., of which there for food. This type at times has been confused are two main types. The more important econom with kenaf, H. cannabinus L., a somewhat similar ically is H. sabdariffa var. altissima Wester, an but more widely exploited fiber source. Figr. 1. Red-leaf hibiscus (Hibiscus eetveldeanus), often mistaken for roselle. Photo by Julia Morton MORTON: THE ROSELLE 417 The other distinct type of roselle, H. sabdariffa The calyx, stems and leaves are acid and closely var. sabdariffa, embraces shorter, bushy forms resemble the cranberry in flavor (66). which have been described as races: bhagalpurien- sis, intermedius, albus, and ruber, all breeding Origin and Distribution true from seed (4). The first has green, red- streaked, inedible calyces; the second and third Roselle is native from India to Malaysia, where have yellow-green edible calyces and also yield it is commonly cultivated (4, 8, 10, 20), and must fiber (15). The subject of this paper is primarily have been carried at an early date to Africa (3). the race ruber and its named cultivars with edible It has been widely distributed in the tropics and calyces; secondarily the green-fruited strains which subtropics of both hemispheres and in many areas have similar uses and which may belong to race of the West Indies and Central America has be albus. come naturalized (9, 23, 47, 54). Vernacular names in addition to roselle in The Flemish botanist, M. de L'Obel, published English-speaking regions are rozelle, sorrel, red his observations of the plant in 1576, and the edi sorrel, Jamaica sorrel, Indian sorrel, Guinea sorrel, bility of the leaves was recorded in Java in 1687 sour-sour, Queensland Jelly plant (65), jelly okra, (15). Seeds are said to have been brought to the lemon bush (18), or Florida cranberry; in French, New World by African slaves (57). Roselle was oseille rouge, or oseille de Guinee (42); in Spanish, grown in Brazil in the 17th century and in Ja quimbombo chino, sereni (48), rosa de Jamaica, maica in 1707 (44). The plant was being cul flor de Jamaica, Jamaica, agria (33, 35), agrio tivated for food use in Guatemala before 1840 de Guinea (54), quetmia acida (29), vina and (57). J. N. Rose, in 1899, saw large baskets of vinuela; in Portuguese, vinagreira, azeda de Guine, dried calyces in the markets of Guadaljara, Mex cururu azedo, and quiabeiro azedo (27); and in ico (50). Dutch (Surinam), zuring (41). In North Africa In 1892, there were two factories producing and the Near East, roselle is called karkade (6) or roselle jam in Queensland, Australia, and exporting carcade (21) and it is known by these names in considerable quantities to Europe (62). This was the pharmaceutical and food flavoring trades in a short-lived enterprise. In 1909, there were no Europe (21). In Senegal, the common name is more than 4 acres of edible roselle in Queensland bisap. (15). A Mr. Neustadt of San Francisco imported seed from Australia about 1895 and shared it with Description the California state agricultural experiment sta tion for test plantings and subsequent seed distri H. sabdariffa var. sabdariffa race ruber is an bution (62). It was probably about the same time annual, erect, bushy, herbaceous subshrub to 8 ft. that Australian seeds reached Hawaii. In 1904, the tall (31) with smooth or nearly smooth, cylindrical, Hawaiian Agricultural Experiment Station re typically red stems. The leaves are alternate, 3 to ceived seeds from Puerto Rico (16). In 1913 there 5 in. long, green with reddish veins and long or was much interest in interplanting roselle with short petioles. Leaves of young seedlings (62) and Ceara rubber (Manihot glaziovii Muell. Arg.) on upper leaves of older plants are simple; lower the island of Maui (63) and there were some leaves are deeply 3- to 5- or even 7-lobed; the plantations established also on the island of Ha margins are toothed. Flowers, borne singly in the waii, altogether totaling over 200 acres. The leaf axils, are up to 5 in. wide, yellow or buff with anticipated jelly industry failed to materialize a rose (1) or maroon eye, and turn pink as they (16) and promotional efforts were abandoned by wither at the end of the day (15, 57, 62). At this 1929 (43). time, the typically red calyx, consisting of 5 large P.