Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Kembang sepatu or bunga raya or worawari or Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is a species of shrub in Malvaceae, growing 2-5 m high and 1-3 m wide, having ovoid leaves, acute tips, jagged edges, shiny, and solitary. Widely planted as an ornamental plant in the tropics and subtropics, large flowers, red and odorless.

H. rosa-sinensis has a variety of cultivars and hybrids including single or double flowers that are white, yellow, orange and red. Flowers come all year long, large, conspicuous, trumpet-shaped, five petals with a diameter of 4-18 cm and anthers red orange.

Chinese hibiscus includes dicotyledonous, solitary, complete and perfect, has superior ovaries, regular symmetry and axillary placentation, 5 carpels, 5 loci, 5 sepals and varying amounts of stamens. The base of the flower is green petals and the pointed tip of the petals is sepals.

The male and female parts of the same flower. The five hairy red spots at the top of the flower are the stigmas in which pollen is collected. The ovary is located at the bottom of the flower. The male part consists of stem-like filaments and each filament ends with pollen-producing anther. Anthers sit on filaments and these two organs form hundreds of stamens.

This flower is used in hair care, shoe polish and can be used as a pH indicator where an acidic solution makes the flowers turn pink, dark or magenta. Flowers extracted for cosmetics, skin care and anti-solar agents.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Hibisceae
Genus: Hibiscus
Species: Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

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