Japanese name: ケナフ Scientific name:Hibiscus cannabinus
[Overview]
An annual to short-lived perennial 1.5–3 m tall.
The stem is erect and prickly, and woody at the base.
The leaves are alternate, 10–15 cm long, usually palmately divided into 3–7 lobes; the lobes are lanceolate with pointed tips and toothed margins, and the leaves have long petioles.
Leaves near the top of the stem are shallowly lobed, or some are not lobed at all and are simple and lanceolate.
The flowers are solitary in the leaf axils, with very short flower stalks, and are 5-petaled, 8–15 cm across, white to pale yellow with a dark red center.
Some plants bear purple flowers.
The flowers open in the morning and wither by evening, lasting one day.
The fruit is a capsule about 2 cm across, covered with stiff bristles and ending in a short beak-like point.
The seeds are kidney-shaped.
[Uses]
It is cultivated as a fiber crop, and the seed oil is also useful.
The young leaves can be eaten.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site, and if the environment suits it, it grows well even when left alone.
