| Japanese Lanterns | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malvales |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Genus: | Hibiscus |
| Species: | H. schizopetalus |
| Binomial name | |
| Hibiscus schizopetalus (Mast.) Hook.f. |
|
Botany
Hibiscus schizopetalus is a species of Hibiscus native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania and Mozambique.
It is a shrub growing to 3 m tall. The red or pink flowers are very distinctive in their frilly, finely divided petals.[1][2] Its common names include Japanese Lantern, Coral Hibiscus and Fringed Rosemallow. Flowers with finely dissected petal have a range of colours, the most common being the red form (Keena et al., 2002; Ng, 2006). Leaves resemble those of H. rosa-sinensis.
Chemistry
The major anthocyanin found in flowers of H. schizopetalus is cyanidin-3-sambusophoroside (Lowry, 1976). From leaves, two new triterpene esters have been isolated (Jose & Vijayan, 2006).
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Hibiscus_schizopetalus Hibiscus schizopetalus] at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Hibiscus schizopetalus at Wikispecies
Jose, E.A. & Vijayan, K.K. (2006). “New taraxerane esters from Hibiscus schizopetalus leaves”. Indian Journal of Chemistry - Section B Organic and Medicinal Chemistry 45(5): 1328–1331.
Keena, C., Yanker-Hansen, K., Marcos Capelini, M. (2002). “Marvellous mallows”. http://www.internationalhibiscussociety.org/hiv1n11-1.htm#1.
Lowry, J.B. (1976). “Floral anthocyanins of some Malesian Hibiscus species”. Phytochemistry 15: 1395–1396.
Ng, F.S.P. 2006. “Tropical Horticulture and Gardening”. Clearwater Publications, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 361 pp.