Malvaceae
Hibiscus

Hibiscus acetosella Welw. ex Hiern

First published in Cat. Afr. Pl. 1: 73 (1896)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Burundi to S. Tropical Africa. It is an annual or subshrub and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome. It is has environmental uses, as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Andean, Orinoquia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–1500 m a.s.l. Cultivated in Colombia. Colombian departments: Caldas, Chocó, Meta, Valle del Cauca.
Habit
Subshrub.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, artificial - terrestrial.
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Cultivada en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 1500 m.; Andes, Orinoquia, Pacífico, Valle del Cauca.
Morphology General Habit
Subarbusto
[CPLC]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herb or subshrub, subglabrous to pubescent, the whole plant usually tinged with red
Morphology Leaves
Leaves with petiole up to 10 cm long; blade ovate to suborbicular in outline, almost entire to deeply 3–5-lobed, up to 8 x 8 cm
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Flowers in leaf axils; pedicels up to 1 cm long, articulated near the middle
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Epicalyx
Epicalyx bracts 9–10, up to 15 mm long, forked at the tip with a linear inner lobe and an outer spathulate lobe
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx c. 20 mm long with pointed lobes
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals up to 5.5 cm long, dark red or yellow with a purple base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule c. 17 mm long, ovoid-acuminate, hispid
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 3 mm long, glabrous or nearly so.
Distribution
Cultivated at least in S2 perhaps native in Angola, but widely cultivated in tropical Africa.
[FSOM]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
malvarrosa, malvavisco, malvisco
[UNAL]

Malvaceae, Bernard Verdcourt & Geoffrey Mwachala. Pavonia, B Verdcourt; Kosteletzkya, OJ Blanchard Jr.; Gossypium, P Fryxell & B Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2009

Morphology General Habit
Herb or subshrub to 2 m tall.
Morphology Stem
Stems and leaves purple, or at least purple-tinged in our area, rarely green, stems glabrous to sparsely pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves unlobed to shallowly to moderately 3–5-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers axilllary, solitary, dark pink or purple, rarely yellow
Note
Frequently cultivated, also ruderal and naturalised in abandoned fields and settlements.
[FTEA]

Uses

Use Environmental
Environmental uses.
Use Gene Sources
Used as gene sources.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Use
Cultivated as an ornamental. The leaves, which have an acid flavour, may be eaten as a vegetable or as salad.
[FSOM]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0