Red Stemmed Gongura

(Hibiscus sabdariffa) In Hindi it is known as ambada bhaji or meshta. This tangy vegetable grows up to 1 foot tall and has edible lobed leaves. The stems are reddish.

This vegetable is often prepared as a pickle or with chicken or mutton. Popular in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa (called Nalite saga in Oriya, Belchanda' among Nepalese, Tengamora among Assamese). In Tamil it is known as Pulicha keerai, Thai it is know as KraJiabDaeng, som phor dee in Lao, Chaye-Torosh in Farsi, karkade in Arabic, Rosela in Indonesia, asam belanda in Malaysia.

Another important edible part is the fleshy sepal (calyx), which is intense red and tastes acidic. Sometimes used as a cranberry substitute it is used to make ice teas, jelly and juice.

In Chhattisgarh the flower is known as amari phool and the sepal is used to make cooling sharbats. The leaves and young stems are eaten raw in salads or cooked as a vegetable. It is also known to be a mild laxative and mild diuretic. 

Latin Name: Hibiscus sabdariffa

Planting Guidance: Plant roselle outdoors in areas that get full sun once the danger of frost has passed. This is a very shrubby plant, so plants should be spaced at least 3-4 feet apart and watered regularly. Roselle thrives in well- drained soils with high organic matter, but can tolerate clay soils. We recommend soaking Gongura seeds prior to sowing.

Approx. Seed Count:

• Retail Packet: 80-100 Seeds

Seed Treatment

Untreated

Genetics

Open Pollinated

Hindi Name: Ambada Bhaji

Marathi Name: Laal-ambaari, tambdi-ambadi

Gujrati Name:

Kannada Name: Kempupundrike ಕೆಂಪುಪುಂಡ್ರಿಕೆ

Telugu Name: erragomgura, erragonkaya, ettagomgura

Tamil Name:

Bengali Name: chukar

Malayalam Name: polechi, puli-cheera