Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Herbaceous PerennialAnnual Biennial

Abelmoschus manihot

edible hibiscus

A tropical perennial normally grown as an annual in temperate areas, producing a large clump of five- or seven-fingered leaves. The flowers, in spires, open one at a time and are up to 15cm across, lemon yellow with a dark purple eye. They are followed by green, hairy seed pods

Other common names

aibika

Synonyms

Hibiscus manihot

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

1 year

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Malvaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Genus: Abelmoschus are hairy annuals or perennials with large, usually palmately-lobed leaves and 5-petalled, hibiscus-like, flowers borne in the leaf axils or in terminal racemes
Name status: Correct
Plant range: SE Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Start off under glass and plant out in a sunny, sheltered position with well-drained, fertile soil, after all frost risk has passed

Propagation

Propagate by seed, or by softwood cuttings in early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Sub-tropical
Cottage and informal garden
Flower borders and beds
Wall side borders

Pruning

Cut back stems as they finish flowering

Pests

May be susceptible to slugs, snails, glasshouse red spider mite and glasshouse whitefly

Diseases

Susceptible to powdery mildews

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.