Scientific Name
Other Names
Life Form
Family
Ornamental- Cultivated as an ornamental plant throughout the tropics and subtropics and also in the warmer regions of the temperate zone. Food- The leaves flowers and root are edible. Medicine-A sweet, astringent, cooling herb that checks bleeding, soothes irritated tissues and relaxes spasms. hey are used internally in the treatment of excessive and painful menstruation, cystitis, venereal diseases, feverish illnesses, bronchial catarrh, coughs. Cosmetics/Essential oils- The extract of flowers is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparation humectant, hair conditioner, skin conditioner and tonic.
Cultivated worldwide
Tropical biome
Evergreen shrub or small tree reaching 2.5-5 meters.
Aerial, erect, green, cylindrical, and branched.
Simple, petiolate, alternate, with ovate shape and acute tip. Leaf margins are serrated, and venation is unicostate reticulate (veins branched or divergent). Leaf surfaces are glossy with free lateral stipules present.
Large, solitary, and arise singly from upper leaf axils. Petals are typically red, but cultivars offer a wide variety of colors (white, pink, orange, peach, yellow, blue, purple). Some plants have double flowers.
Ovoid-shaped, beaked capsules that split into five sections upon maturity, containing numerous small, brown seeds.
Flowering:June-October.