Eng. : — The Roselle of India or Red Sorrel of the W. Indies.
Habitat : — Cultivated in hotter parts of India.
An erect, cultivated annual shrub, glabrous, unarmed. Stem purple. Leaves entire or 3-lobed, serrate, midrib glandular beneath ; petiole 2 in. Peduncle solitary, axillary, shorter than the petiole. Bracteoles and Calyx accrescent. Bracteoles 8-12, linear, adnate to the base of the Calyx. Sepals dotted, acuminate, bristly, connate below the midrib into a purplish fleshy cup. Corolla 2½ in. diam., yellow. Capsule ovoid, pointed, villous, shorter than the Calyx, seeds reniform, sub-glabrous.
Parts used :— The seeds, fruit and leaves.
Use : — The succulent calyx is used for the preparation of what is called in Bombay Bazaars " Roselle " jelly or Rozal jelly, and, when dried, as an article of diet like tamarind is used much in curries. In bilious conditions, a diet drink is made by boiling it with water and adding a little salt, pepper, asafœtida and molasses (Dymock).
Moodeen Sheriff recommends a decoction of the seeds as a draught, in doses of from 1 to 2 drs., 3 or 4 times a day, in dysuria and strangury, also in dyspepsia and debility.
The fruit possesses anti-scorbutic properties. The leaves are regarded as emollient. They are often cooked as vegetable and in curries. K. R. K.
The food plant roselle, Hibiscus Sabdariffa has recently been introduced into the Philippine Islands and is the sole representative of a type, in which the calyx supplies the chief edible portion of the plant. After flowering, the calyx thickens and enlarges until it assumes the appearance of a large bud, which is harvested for making jam or jelly of a brilliant red colour and pleasant acid taste, and for the preparation of syrup and wine. The chemical composition of the calyx is very similar to that of the cranberry, comprising inter alia 3.31 per cent, of malic acid, 0.83 per cent, of invert sugar, and 0.24 per cent, of sucrose. The malic acid present consists entirely of the dextro-rotatory modification, which form has never previously been identified in plant composition, and the acidity of the fruit is due entirely to it, analysis proving the absence of Tartaric and Citric acids. The roselle leaves contain about 1.25 per cent, and the stems about 0*60 per cent, of dextro malic acid, in consequence of which, both stems and leaves can be utilised in conjunction with the calyxes, when a brilliantly coloured food product is required.
J. Ch. I. Jan. 31, 1913 p. 104.
