PROJECT REPORT ON

HIBISCUS

Hibiscus plants can be broken down into two distinct categories. The two categories are commonly named tropical hibiscus and hardy hibiscus. Botanical names are Rosa-sinensis for the tropical hibiscus and Hibiscus moscheutos for the hardy hibiscus family. Hardy hibiscus plants are hardy to zone 4. These plants emerge in late spring, grow quickly, and begin to flower in mid summer. The hardy hibiscus plants only display flowers of one color on each plant. To achieve multiple colors, hibiscus plants of another flower color must be used. The tropical hibiscus plant can only be grown in tropical locales. In the continental United States that means growing them in zones 9 and 10 or in a green house. You can also pot them and bring them inside during cold temperatures. Treating your tropical hibiscus correctly will give you years of enjoyment. But remember, they are not immortal! Some are spent after 4 or 5 years in a pot and should be tossed away at this point. Hibiscus plants offer a wide range of colors, flower size, and basic plant size. They can be grown for enjoyment over a broad range of climatic conditions. They are interesting to grow because of their many garden applications and their propensity for large colorful flowers.

Description
The leaves are alternate, ovate to lanceolate, often with a toothed or lobed margin. The flowers are large, conspicuous, trumpet-shaped, with five or more petals, color from white to pink, red, orange, purple or yellow, and from 418 cm broad. Flower color in certain species, such as H. mutabilis and H. tiliaceus, changes with age. The fruit is a dry five-lobed capsule, containing several seeds in each lobe, which are released when the capsuledehisces (splits open) at maturity. It is of red and white colours. It is an example of complete flowers.

SOIL & SUNLIGHT REQUIREMENTS FOR HIBISCUS

It can be grown in a shrubbery or as a potted plant. They flower throughout the year in mild climate. In our climate, they flower more in summer than winter. It does not prefer excessive high or low temperature and dry heat. Hibiscus required full day sunlight or atleast six hours a day. They grow and flower in a wide range of soil but well drained loam, rich in organic matter is ideal. Water stagnant or soggy soil will adversely affect the flowering and growth of the plant.

CARE & FEEDING HIBISCUS

Pruning is done to shape the plant and encourage new growth. In India pruning is normally done in end summer or in the beginning of monsoon. Don't overfeed your plant after pruning. Watch for new shoots to appear and the start feeding. Hibiscus like organic feed, so feed your plant with bone meal or sterameal once in every two months. Remember winter is the resting period for your hibiscus, so do not fertilize in winter. In summer a fortnightly light feed with a

balance chemical fertilizer like 20:20:20 will yield good result. Foliar feed is also good for hibiscus. Always deep water your hibiscus after feeding. Remember, allow the topsoil to dry out before deep watering.

PROPAGATION OF HIBISCUS
Propagation can be done, by layering, cutting, tee budding and grafting. Green semi-woody tip cuttings, treated with rooting hormone, does well in most varieties under mist. Stock grafting is also very popular, and is one of the major procedure for propagation in some types. In India, we are almost unable to produce fertile hibiscus seeds, commercially.

COMMON DISEASE OF HIBISCUS

Hibiscus gets affected by a number of pests and diseases and can die ultimately if not checked in earlier stage. For fungal attack, spray pesticides and also check the soil condition, it should not be damp. They normally get affected by two type of pests, chewing and sucking. Caterpillars, grasshoppers and beetles come in the chewing section. Carbaryl works for most of them. Red spidery mites, aphids, scale and mealy bugs come in the sucking section. Normally a thorough hosing down of the plant with a mild detergent solution solves the problem, or if it's a massive attack try metacid 50. There are no cure for viral disease, it is better to replace the affected plant and completely burn it.

Uses

A red hibiscus flower in Chennai, India, during late spring (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)

Landscaping
Many species are grown for their showy flowers or used as landscape shrubs, and are used to attract [6] butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds.

Paper
One species of Hibiscus, known as kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus), is extensively used inpaper-making.

Beverage
The tea made from hibiscus flowers is known by many names in many countries around the world and is served both hot and cold. The beverage is well known for its color, tanginess and flavor. It is known as bissap in West Africa, karkad in Egypt and Sudan, flor de Jamaica in Mexico, gudhal () in India and gongura in Brazil. Some refer to it as roselle, a common name for the hibiscus flower. In Jamaica and many other islands in the Caribbean, the drink is known as sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa; not to be confused with Rumex acetosa, a species sharing the common name sorrel). The drink is popular at Christmas time. It is served cold, mixed with other herbs, roots, spices and cane sugar. Often it is served mixed with Jamaican rum or wine. Roselle is typically boiled in an enamel-coated large stock pot as most West Indians believe the metal from aluminum, steel or copper pots will destroy the natural minerals and vitamins In Cambodia, a cold beverage can be prepared by first steeping the petals in hot water until the colors are leached from the petals, then adding lime juice (which turns the beverage from dark brown/red to a bright red), sweeteners (sugar/honey) and finally cold water/ice cubes.

Food
Dried hibiscus is edible, and is often a delicacy in Mexico. It can also be candied and used as a garnish The roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is used as a vegetable. Certain species of hibiscus are also beginning to be used more widely as a natural source of food coloring (E163),[citation needed] and replacement of Red #3 / E127.

Hibiscus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidopteran species, including Chionodes hibiscella, Hypercompe hambletoni, the nutmeg moth, and the turnip moth.

Symbolism and culture

Hibiscus species represent nations: Hibiscus syriacus is the national flower of South Korea, and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia. The red hibiscus is the flower of the Hindu goddess Kali, and appears frequently in depictions of her in the art ofBengal, India, often with the goddess and the flower merging in form. The hibiscus is used as an offering to goddess Kali and LordGanesha in Hindu worship. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is considered to have a number of medical uses in Chinese herbology. In the Philippines, the gumamela (local name for hibiscus) is used by children as part of a bubble-making pastime. The flowers and leaves are crushed until the sticky juices come out. Hollow papaya stalks are then dipped into this and used as straws for blowing bubbles. The red hibiscus flower is traditionally worn by Tahitian women. A single flower, tucked behind the ear, is used to indicate the wearer's availability for marriage. Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, named her first novel Purple Hibiscus after the delicate flower. The bark of the hibiscus contains strong bast fibres that can be obtained by letting the stripped bark set in the sea to let the organic material rot away. In Polynesia, these fibers (fau, prau) are used for making grass skirts. They have also been known to be used to make wigs.

Hibiscus.

Health benefits
The tea is popular as a natural diuretic; it contains vitamin C and minerals, and is used traditionally as a mild medicine. Dieters or people with kidney problems often take it without adding sugar for its beneficial properties and as a natural diuretic. A 2008 USDA study shows consuming hibiscus tea lowers blood pressure in a group of prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. Three cups of tea daily resulted in an average drop of 8.1 mmHg in their systolic blood pressure, compared to a 1.3 mmHg drop in the volunteers who drank the

placebo beverage. Study participants with higher blood pressure readings (129 or above) had a greater response to hibiscus tea: their systolic blood pressure went down by 13.2 mmHg. These data support the idea that drinking hibiscus tea in an amount readily incorporated into the diet may play a role in controlling blood pressure, although more research is required. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis has a number of medical uses in Chinese herbology. In the Indian traditional system of medicine, Ayurveda, hibiscus, especially white hibiscus and red hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis), is considered to have medicinal properties. The roots are used to make various concoctions believed to cure ailments such as cough, hair loss or hair greying. As a hair treatment, the flowers are boiled in oil along with other spices to make a medicated hair oil. The leaves and flowers are ground into a fine paste with a little water, and the resulting lathery paste is used as a shampoo plus conditioner.

Species
In temperate zones, probably the most commonly grown ornamental species is Hibiscus syriacus, the common garden hibiscus, also known in some areas as the "Rose of Althea" or "Rose of Sharon" (but not to be confused with the unrelated Hypericum calycinum, also called "Rose of Sharon"). In tropical and subtropical areas, the Chinese hibiscus (H. rosa-sinensis), with its many showy hybrids, is the most popular hibiscus.