Indian-hemp

Hibiscus cannabinus, commonly known as kenaf or Indian-hemp, is an annual to short-lived perennial herbaceous plant of the mallow family (Malvaceae), growing 1.5–3.5 m tall with a somewhat woody base. The slender, often prickly stems are 1–2 cm thick and sometimes branched. Leaves are 10–15 cm long and notably variable in shape: those near the base are deeply divided into three to seven palmate lobes while those toward the top of the stem are shallowly lobed or simply lanceolate. Showy hibiscus flowers 8–15 cm across appear in late summer, with white, cream, yellow, or purple petals contrasting with a dark purple centre. The fruit is a capsule about 2 cm in diameter containing several seeds. Long cultivated, particularly in Egypt and South Asia for over three thousand years, the plant is grown today as a bast-fibre crop and oilseed across tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas.