Jim’s Plant of the Month:

Jewels
from the
Crown
This
month’s jewels are the hibiscus and their relatives, the
malvaceae, or mallow family. Everyone in Florida is familiar with
hibiscus, including some colorful hybrids not often seen in other parts
of the country. 
Hibiscus ‘Snow Queen’, the so-called
“exotic tropical hybrids”, schizopetalus, tiliaceus
and acetosella (the cranberry hibiscus) have all

been
in our raffles more than once. There have been a few raffle plants
from the genus Malva as well, but the malvaceae includes more
than just Hibiscus and Malva. Cotton (Gossypium sp.) and okra are
mallows, and according to some sources, so is the baobab tree!

Some of the lesser-known, but interesting members of the
mallow family which do very well in Florida are: Abelmoschus manihot, a
close relative of okra with edible leaves, Abutilon megapotamicum, a
flowering maple with bi-colored pendant flowers,

Alyogyne huegelii, the blue hibiscus, and Anisodontea capensis and its hybrids.
The
family malvaceae includes many useful and edible species. Hibiscus
tiliaceus, often found in its variegated form in Florida, is a 40 foot
tall tree with flowers similar to okra flowers. They start out yellow,
then turn red before they fall. In its native

Asia,
all parts of the tree are used. The young leaves are eaten, and in
Hawaii, the light-weight trunk is used to make outrigger canoes. Known
as the mahoe in Florida, it is tolerant of drought, wet soil, and salt.
The
seed pod of okra is the part we eat, but its relative Abelmoschus
manihot has edible leaves. Both thrive in our hot, humid climate. Of
course, so does cotton, which has probably the most useful
fibers in the plant kingdom, also from the seed pod. An annual relative
of the cranberry hibiscus, Hibiscus sabdariffa, has an edible, fleshy
calyx (the sort of cup that encloses the developing flower).
Called Jamaican sorrel, roselle, or Florida cranberry, it produces a
drink similar in taste to cranberry juice, very popular in Mexico and
Africa.
Over the past year I’ve been cross-pollinating many of

my exotic tropical hibiscus. Some of the seed pods have developed, and I’m anxious to see
what they produce. If anything interesting comes of them, I’ll be
sure to put some in the raffle, along with some of the other malvaceae
listed above. I hope to see our members experimenting with these and
others in the coming years. Be sure to let me know of any new
discoveries!
Notice:
Several
months ago I wrote a column on peanut grass, or perennial peanut, as a
ground cover. I found a source for it that will only deliver very large
quantities. Anyone interested in splitting a shipment please contact me
soon.
Thank you, Jim
President: Jim Nevers, president@rakesandbladesfl.com
Vice President: Ann Allen, vicepres@rakesandbladesfl.com
Treasurer: Tony Parente, treasurer@rakesandbladesfl.com
Secretary: Bruce Bates, secretary@rakesandbladesfl.com
Newsletter: Bryan Hopper, newsletter@rakesandbladesfl.com
Photographer: Brad Hissing, photos@rakesandbladesfl.com
Raffleator: Kevin Ritter, raffles@rakesandbladesfl.com
Program Coordinator:
Brian Cahill, programs@rakesandbladesfl.com
Host Coordinators:
Ann Allen, Marty Volpe, hosting@rakesandbladesfl.com
Potluck Committee:
Marty Volpe, Stan Trimmer, Scott Hoffman
potluck@rakesandbladesfl.com