Sabdariffa (DC.) Kostel., Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl.

Sabdariffa (DC.) Kostel., Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl. View in CoL 5: 1857 (1836)

Hibiscus sect. Sabdariffa DC., Prodr. 1: 453 (1824). Type: Hibiscus sabdariffa L. [= Sabdariffa gossypiifolia (Mill.) M.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett ]

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria DC., Prodr. 1: 449 (1824); Furcaria (DC.) Kostel., Allg. Med.-Pharm. Fl. 5: 1856 (1836), nom. illeg., non Desv. (1827), nec Boivin ex Baill. (1858). Type: Hibiscus furcellatus Desr. , designated by T.H.Kearney, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 46: 109 (1951) [= Sabdariffa furcellata (Desr.) M.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett ].

Hibiscus [sect. Abelmoschus ] subsect. Tuberculatus G.Don View in CoL , Loudon’s Hort. Brit. 1: 289 (1830), (as ‘ Tuberculati’). Type (here designated): Hibiscus diversifolius Jacq. [= Sabdariffa diversifolia (Jacq.) McLay & R.L.Barrett ].

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria subsect. Furcaria simplicia Hochr., Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Genève 4: 41 (1900), nom. inval.

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria subsect. Furcaria typica Hochr., Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Genève 4: 41 (1900), nom. inval.

Canhamo Perini, Prosp. Expl. Notice Cult. Canh. Braz. View in CoL : 1 (1905). Type: Canhamo braziliensis Perini View in CoL [= Sabdariffa radiata (Cav.) R.L.Barrett & M.M.Hanes View in CoL ].

Brockmania W.Fitzg., J. & Proc. Roy. Soc. View in CoL West. Austral . 3: 174 (1918). Type: Brockmania membranacea W.Fitzg. View in CoL [= Sabdariffa meraukensis (Hochr.) McLay & R.L.Barrett View in CoL ].

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria series Furcaria cannabina Ulbr. View in CoL in A.Engler (ed.), Die Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 400 (1921), nom. inval.

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria series Furcaria furcellata Ulbr. View in CoL in A.Engler (ed.), Die Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 400 (1921), nom. inval.

Hibiscus sect. Furcaria series Furcaria sabdariffa Ulbr. View in CoL in A.Engler (ed.), Die Pflanzenwelt Afrikas 3(2): 402 (1921), nom. inval.

Hibiscus sect. Cannabini Small , Man . S.E. Fl. 854 (1933). Type: H. cannabinus View in CoL L. [= Sabdariffa cannabina View in CoL (L.) M.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett].

Hibiscus sect. Furcellati Small , Man . S.E. Fl. 854 (1933). Type: H. furcellatus Desr. [= Sabdariffa furcellata (Desr.) M.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett ].

Annual herbs, perennial subshrubs, shrubs, usually erect or spreading, occasionally trailing woody vines (e.g. S. altissima , S. sudanensis , S. surattensis , S. uncinella ), rarely prostrate (e.g. S. flagelliformis ) or rarely small trees (e.g. S. brackenridgei , S. townsvillensis ), 0.3–10 m high. Branchlets commonly with sparse to dense aculei 1.5–6 mm long (sometimes retrorse, sometimes 2- or 3-fid), or stellate hairs, bristles to 3 mm long, hairs whitish, yellowish or brownish, simple or 2-forked hairs to 2 mm long sometimes present, glandular hairs present in some Australian species or branchlets sometimes glabrous. Stipules ±persistent or sometimes caducous, filiform, linear, subulate to ovate (amplexicaul in S. surattensis ; sometimes 2-lobed in S. fallax , 3-lobed in S. elongatifolia ), 0.75–15(–20) mm long, 0.3–2.0 mm wide, with fine and sometimes coarse bristles or sometimes glabrous. Leaves alternate, lower leaves usually petiolate, apical leaves sometimes sessile and reduced to linear bracts. Mature leaves: petiole 3–180(– 220 in S. diversifolia , – 240 in S. stewartii ) mm long, indumentum similar or dissimilar to that of the branchlet; lamina variable in shape, from simple to 3–7(–9)-lobed even on the same plant (rarely 2- or 4-lobed in S. aspera ), (10–) 35–260 mm long, (2–) 25–260 mm wide, cuneate to obtuse at base, entire to serrate or dentate margin, acute to obtuse apex, concolourous or discolourous, lobes when present elliptic to ovate or narrowly triangular, longer than wide, attenuate to obtuse, adaxial surface indumentum of very sparse to dense simple or 1–4-armed hairs, hairs sessile, sometimes with a few aculei, abaxial surface usually with conspicuous foliar nectaries (0.5–15 mm long) at the base of the midrib and sometimes on lateral ribs (sometimes absent in S. brackenridgei , absent in S. fabiana ), indumentum of sparse to dense coarse stellate hairs, 1–4-armed, hairs sessile, the indumentum commonly more dense on the abaxial surface, the abaxial surface with midrib and primary vein indumentum usually dissimilar to the interveinal regions, indumentum whitish to yellowish (rarely lamina glabrous). Flowers usually solitary in leaf axils (sometimes paired), appearing to form racemes when upper leaves reduced (e.g. S. diversifolia ) or borne in clusters at the tips of branchlets (e.g. S. mustiae ); pedunculate, the peduncle (0.5–)1–100(–130) mm long, often elongating in fruit, sometimes greatly so, commonly with coarse bristles and sparse stellate hairs, sometimes glabrous, articulation usually conspicuous; articulated pedicel (rarely absent), 1–15 mm long, with fine to coarse bristles, pedicels sometimes marginally wider distally, indumentum of peduncle and pedicel commonly distinct and diagnostic; epicalyx commonly with coarse bristles and aculei, 5–22-lobed, (1–2 mm long in S. aphela ) (5–) 9–37 mm long at anthesis, 0.5–2.5 mm wide, the lobes free or sometimes fused at the base for up to 5 mm, 1- or 3-nerved, linear to subulate (the apex then flattened), entire or distinctly 2-lobed at the apex (the two lobes 0.5–10 mm long), channelled in many species (channelled inside in S. gossypiifolia ), commonly appressed to the calyx or spreading to reflexed, with sparse, coarse simple hairs persistent in fruit or glabrous; calyx 5-lobed, 7–35(– 55 in S. gossypiifolia ) mm long at anthesis (often enlarged in fruit), lobes ±linear, lanceolate, narrowly triangular, triangular or spathulate, free to the base or sometimes fused for 1–7 mm, 10-ribbed at base, with thickened ribs, the midrib of each sepal being raised and from the receptacle to the notch of each sinus, and continuing along each margin of the sepals (ribs not conspicuous in S. goossensii ), indumentum of sparse to dense, simple and stellate, whitish, appressed, erect or apically curved hairs or sometimes glabrous, nectary present or absent, calyx persistent and leathery (or fleshy in S. acetosella and S. gossypiifolia ) in fruit; corolla usually large, open and showy (salverform in S. uncinella , funnelform in S. greenwayi ), sometimes pendulous; petals obovate, (20–) 35–95 mm long, 15–65 mm wide, white, creamy yellow, yellow or pale to dark pink (deep magenta in S. australensis to purple-red in S. radiata and red in S. uncinella ), prominently veined, with a thin red horizontal stripe at the base or a reddish-brown to deep purple petal spot, glabrous adaxially, glabrous or with sparse stellate hairs abaxially or sometimes with fine simple hairs; staminal column shorter than or equal to the petals, straight, (10–) 12–60 mm long, usually the same colour as the petal spot (if present), stamens distributed throughout the column, the filaments 0.5–3.0 mm long, anthers red or yellow; style exserted 1–6 mm beyond apex of staminal column (or rarely included), sparsely hairy (hairs clavate in S. sudanensis ), 5-branched, branches 2–12 mm long, stigmas feathery, capitate, wide, the hairs 0.1–0.5 mm long. Capsule 5-celled, loculicidally dehiscent, ovoid to globose, (6–11 in S. scotellii ) 12–32 mm long, (6–10 in S. scotellii ) 12–23 mm in diameter, shortly beaked, sparse to moderately dense erect or appressed, simple, coarse hairs all over (glandular hairs present in some South American species), glabrescent (or glabrous in S. kirstyae and S. meraukensis ). Seeds several per cell, light brown to dark brown, reniform to angular, 2–5 mm long, 2–4 mm wide, sometimes striate, often scaly or variously marked but rarely hairy, with white to cream, light brown or tan funiculus. (n = 18, 36, 54, 72, 90; Skovsted 1944; Menzel and Wilson 1969; Menzel and Hancock 1984; Wilson 1994, 1999; Krapovickas and Fryxell 2004; Lavia and Fernández 2004; Wilson 2006).

Diagnostic characters

Sabdariffa is most readily recognised by the prominence of the calyx nervation, where particularly the midrib and margins of each sepal are raised and rib-like (not raised in most other Hibisceae ). Most species bear stout simple hairs on a thickened base on the stems and in some cases (e.g. S. diversifolia ) the hairs are thickened into prickles. Nectary glands are present on the abaxial surface of the leaf midrib and on the midrib of the sepals in most species. The fruit valves are usually setose and the fruiting calyx is usually leathery (fleshy in S. acetosella (Welw. ex Hiern) M.M.Hanes & R.L.Barrett and S. gossypiifolia ). Forked epicalyx lobe apices are diagnostic when present but this character is only found in selected species.

Distribution

A genus of 117 species with a primarily tropical distribution, a few species extending to temperate or arid zones. Several species are widely cultivated outside natural ranges for agronomic or horticultural use.

Etymology

Fryxell (1988) credits Don (1831) in stating that Sabdariffa is a Turkish name for S. gossypiifolia ( Hibiscus sabdariffa ), though this name does not seem to be in current use in Türkiye ( Pezen Özdogan et al. 2011). Drury (1858) also concluded that Sabdariffa was a Turkish name and believed H. sabdariffa to have been an early introduction to India by the Mohammedans. As the name is not classically formed, this is interpreted as feminine in accordance with Kosteletzky (1836)

who combined two species names under this genus with feminine terminations. The name ‘Sabdariffa’ appears in classical literature such as de L’Obel (1576, p. 375) but no explanation or origin is provided for the name in that publication.

Notes

De Candolle (1824, p. 449) included nine species in Sect. Furcaria . Kearney (1951, p. 109) stated that Sect. Furcaria was ‘typified by H. furcellatus Desr. ’ However, Fryxell (1988, p. 195) stated that the concept of the section was first restricted to only three species ( Hibiscus surattensis , H. furcatus and H. radiatus ) by Kosteletzky (1836, p. 1856) when the section name was raised to generic rank (and thereby taxonomically redefined), excluding H. furcellatus , therefore Fryxell concluded that the first valid selection of a type species was by Borssum Waalkes (1966, p. 57), who designated one of the three species included by Kosteletzky (1836) as the type species. However, the Code does not state that such taxonomic circumscriptions define later choices of type species ( Turland et al. 2018), therefore the first known selection, that of Kearney (1951) must stand.

Don’s (1830) subsection Tuberculatus included a broad range of species, many of which are not closely related or even congeneric under our current concepts. Three of the nine original species belong to our concept of Sabdariffa , therefore we consider one of those species to be a logical choice as the type species of subsection Tuberculatus . We here designate H. diversifolius Jacq. as the type species to fix the application of the name.

Infrageneric names published with two words (e.g. ‘subsect. Furcaria simplicia ’ and several other infrageneric names published by Ulbrich) are not validly published (see Turland et al. 2018, Art. 21.2, Ex. 2). Hibiscus sect. Furcaria series Friesia Ulbr. ( Ulbrich 1921, p. 402) is a synonym of Cravenia McLay & R.L.Barrett (see Hanes et al. 2024).