"They're Hibiscus" she told me. "All of them." I'd thought they looked similar, except for the colors, but there were some I hadn't realized were in the same category. "The dogs eat them all the time." She said. "They're edible."
"Your dogs eat a lot of things." I reminded her. "That doesn't automatically make something 'edible.'"
"Ok." she countered. "The dogs eat them and don't die."
She also told me that, among other things, Hibiscus are used in Red Zinger tea. They're what give the tea its "red." (I know... the rest of the world probably knew that already. Now I know too :) )
At the end of our walk, I thanked her for the two flowers she'd handed me, then held out the orange one and said "This is a Double Hibiscus." - I knew this, now, because she'd told me 15 minutes earlier. You can tell it's a Double Hibiscus because of the second layer of petals within the first.
"Yes." she said, "And what's the other one?"
I looked at the other flower in my hand, then triumphantly thrust it forward and said "Pink!"
"Yes..." she said, "that's the color, but what kind is it?"
I looked at it again, and after a moment of pondering, I held it out again - with more authority this time - and gleefully proclaimed "- PINK!" :)
It's a "Flamingo Pink" Hibiscus
8 Comments:
I agree - - the definition of edible is that you don't die when you eat something! Cute!
Good definition huh? ;)
I have a red hibiscus growing outside my bedroom window. Well, overgrowing. It's a bit leggy. I've never felt inclined to eat it. But perhaps I might!
I did a quick Google search earlier and didn't see any warnings to not eat them, but I'm not sure how they're best ingested, or which varieties make for better eating.
Also, keep in mind that although the flowers might be ok, they could be covered in pesticides depending on how they're grown. (Or dog pee if you have a dog like Stella's ;) (*Let's see if Stella reads these comments! Lol!) )
Let me know how they taste if you experiment!
We have a potted hibiscus in an upstairs hallway at the halfway house. The pot is probably 18" to 20" in diameter and the plant itself stands almost four feet high--it has reddish-orange blossoms. Last month, a resident who was successfully transitioning out of the house, put it in a dark garbage bag and tried to carry it out with his luggage. I wonder if he intended to eat the blossoms? Regardless, the director was unamused--the plant was a hand-me-down from her mom.
Subtle ;) I'm guessing that didn't look good for his transition out of the house!
Hibiscus are among my favourite flowers for many reasons, sadly it' way way WAY too cold to have them outoors where I live. With some luck I could maybe manage to have one indoors?
I first discovered them in Egypt where they are found absolutely everywhere in all the colours possible.
One of my favourite teas? Hibiscus. Although I have people send it to me from all over the world because it seems to be impossible to find in Sweden..
I have very little "flower knowledge." If they'd been here a month ago I might not have noticed. But their sudden appearance EVERYWHERE got my attention! I didn't even know they could be grown indoors, except for Masked Mom's comment about that guy trying to steal a potted one! Do you have "Red ZInger" tea in Sweden? I'm not sure how different that would taste from the hibiscus tea you're used to but maybe it'd be close?
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