Hibiscus sabdariffa L.

 
  • Family : MALVACEAE
    (Mallow Or Hibiscus Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : GURHAL FAMILY (गुड़हल फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Malvaceae
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Hibiscus sabdariffa L.
  • Common name : Rozelle, Red Sorrel, Jamaican sorrell, Red sorrel, Red tea
  • Vernacular name :
    • Laal ambari, Patva (Hindi)
    • Gonguru, Seemi pundi, Pulichakeere (Kannada)
    • Pulichai-keerai, Gogu (Tamil)
    • Katta planga, Katta sago (Oria)
    • Lal Ambadi, Patwa, Tambdi-ambadi (Marathi)
    • Mathipuli, Papuli, Polechi, Puichchai (Malayalam)
    • Yerragogu, Yerra gongura (Telugu)
  • Habit : Undershrub
  • Comments / notes : Cultivated and often runs wild. Cultivated as vegetable, but now naturalised
  • Key identification features : Leaves dark green, deeply dissected; Flowers yellow; Capsule ovoid, pointed, villous, shorter than calyx; Seeds reniform, subglabrous.
  • Flower, Fruit : July-February
  • Distribution :
    • Karnataka : Bengaluru Urban district, Bengaluru Rural district
    • Kerala : Kerala
    • Maharashtra : Thane district
    • Odisha : Odisha
    • Tamil Nadu : Tamil Nadu
    • Himachal Pradesh : Shimla district
    • Delhi : Delhi
    • Uttar Pradesh : Uttar Pradesh
    • Punjab : Punjab
  • Native : Central African Repu, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sudan, Zaïre
  • Exotic/Native : Exotic
  • World Distribution : Widely cultivated in all tropics
  • Conservation Status : Not Evaluated (NE)
  • Literature :
    • Pullaiah et al., 2002 - Flora of Eastern Ghats Vol. 1
    • J.L.Ellis, 1987- Flora of Nallamalais Vol. 1
    • H.O. Saxena & M. Brahmam, 1994- Flora of Orissa Vol. 1.
    • Matthew, K.M., Flora of Tamil Nadu Carnatic, Vol.3 (1). Diocesan Press, Madras. 1983
    • Henry, Kumari & Chithra (1983). Flora of Tamil Nadu, India vol. 1
    • Sasidharan, N. 2011. Flowering plants of Kerala. DVD, V 2, KFRI.
    • H J, Chowdhery, et al. Flora of Himachal Pradesh. Volume 1, Botanical Survey of India, 1984. Pg.: 114
  • Read more :
  • Permalink : http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus sabdariffa
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2025). India Flora Online. http://indiaflora-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Hibiscus sabdariffa. Downloaded on 31 December 2025.

Botanical Description

Herbarium Specimen(s)

Field Image(s)

Distribution District wise

India Distribution

World Distribution

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