Gardening

Either fresh roselle or dried calyces are used to make the drink. They are first boiled in water to yield a deep-red and sour beverage, which is then sweetened with sugar and chilled in a refrigerator before serving.

Also, did you know that the young leaves and tender shoots of the roselle plant are edible? They can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as greens either on their own, or with other leafy vegetables and meat. The stems of the roselle plant also yield a fibre that can be used as a substitute for jute in making burlaps.

The roselle plant is easily raised from seeds or stem-cuttings, and is best grown using well-drained, fertile soil. It can be planted outdoors in the ground or inside a container placed on a windowsill or balcony, as long as the plant receives direct sunshine for at least six hours daily. Fertilise regularly with granular fertiliser to encourage vigorous growth and generous production of calcyes at maturity.

If you were wondering what

calyces are (singular – calyx), well,
they refer to the collection of sepals
behind the petals of a flower. Sepals in most flowering plants are leafy and
green, forming the outer protective covering of a flower bud.

Botanically known as Hibiscus
sabdariffa, the roselle plant is a member
of the hibiscus family, Malvaceae. The
plant is a shrub that produces
numerous attractive, pink-coloured
hibiscus-like flowers, with a distinctive
eye in the centre.