Sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus)

Waru or sea hibiscus (Hibiscus tiliaceus) is a species in the Malvaceae, a small tree, 5-15 meters high, the stem grows straighter and the crown narrower on fertile soils, while the trunk grows crooked and the crown widens on arid soil.

H. tiliaceus has leaves with long stalks. Strands circular or ovoid or heart shaped, flat edge, diameter up to 19 cm. Veins with glands at the base. The underside has gray hair. The supporting leaves are oval in shape, 2.5 cm long and leave marks at the ends of the branches.





Flowers solitary or in bunches with 2-5 florets. Additional petals 8-11 items, more than half attached. Petals 2.5 cm long and 5 items. Fan-shaped crown, 5-7.5 cm wide. The flowers bloom yellow in the morning, turn orange in the afternoon and turn red in the evening, before finally falling.

Fruit egg-shaped, short beak, imperfect 5 chambers and opens with 5 valves. The seeds are small and light brown. Taproot and yellowish white.

This tree has high adaptability, is tolerant of drought and flooding. Grows well in hot areas with rainfall 800-2000 mm/year. Common in sandy coasts, mangroves and riparian forests. This species grows wild in forests, agricultural land and roadsides.

The leaves contain saponins, flavonoids and polyphenols, while the roots contain saponins, flavonoids and tannins. This plant contains Cyanidin-3-glucoside as the main anthocyanin found in flowers. The leaves exhibited strong free radical scavenging activity and the highest tyrosinase inhibitory activity among 39 tropical plant species.

Light wood, quite dense, fine structure and not too hard. Bluish gray or pseudo purple or purplish brown or greenish. Tough and durable survive in the soil. Commonly used as building materials, boats, cartwheels, tool handles, carving and firewood. Bark is soaked and beaten to obtain fiber and rope for further use as the basis for making nets and bags.

Leaves for animal feed. Young leaves are used as vegetables and soy sauce fermentation process. The leaves are crushed to treat boils, hair fertilizer. Young leaves are boiled with sugar to dissolve phlegm in severe coughs. Leaf buds are used to treat dysentery and mucus in children. Root for fever medicine.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Hibisceae
Genus: Hibiscus L. in Sp. Pl.: 693 (1753)
Species: Hibiscus tiliaceus L. in Sp. Pl.: 694 (1753)
Subspecies: Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. crestaensis Borss.Waalk., Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. pernambucensis (Arruda) A.Cast., Hibiscus tiliaceus subsp. tiliaceus
Variety: Hibiscus tiliaceus var. potteri (O.Deg. & Greenwell) H.St.John

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Hibiscus tiliaceus var. genuinus Hochr. in Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 4: 63 (1900)
Hibiscus tiliifolius Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 383 (1796)
Parita tiliaceus (L.) Scop. in Intr. Hist. Nat.: 282 (1777)
Pariti tiliaceum (L.) A.Juss. in Fl. Bras. Merid. 1: 256 (1825)
Pariti tiliifolium Nakai in Fl. Sylv. Kor. 21: 101 (1936)
Talipariti tiliaceum (L.) Fryxell in Contr. Univ. Michigan Herb. 23: 258 (2001)

PUBLICATIONS

Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.

Barthelat, F. (2019). La flore illustrée de Mayotte: 1-687. Biotope éditions.

Chayamarit, K. & Balslev, H. (eds.) (2019). Flora of Thailand 14(2): 185-358. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Dassanayake (ed.) (1997). A Revised Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon 11: 1-420. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. PVT. LTD., New Delhi, Calcutta.

Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (1999). Flora of Japan IIc: 1-328. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Meyer, J.-Y. (2017). Guide des plantes de Wallis et Futuna: 1-486. Au vent des iles, editions, Tahiti.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118. Thaman, R.R. & Tye, A. (2015). Flora of Kiritimari (Christmass) atoll, Northern Line islands, Republic of Kiribati. Atoll Research Bulletin 608: 1-73.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

Whistler, W.A. (2022). Flora of Samoa Flowering Plants: 1-930. National Tropical Botanicl Garden. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

VERNACULAR NAME

Assamese: Ratnakara Phula
Bali: Waru
Bengali: সমুদ্রের হিবিস্কাস - বোলা - চেলাবা - সমুদ্রাজাবা Samudrēra hibiskāsa, Bōlā, Cēlābā, Samudrājābā
Bikol: Malobago
Bislama: Burao
Burmese: ပင်လယ်ခရမ်းချဉ်သီး
Cebuano: Malabago, Malbago, Maribago, Lambago
Chinese (simplified): 黄槿
Chinese (traditional): 黃槿
English: Sea hibiscus, Beach hibiscus, Lagoon hibiscus, Coastal cottonwood, Coastal hibiscus, Green cottonwood, Cottonwood hibiscus
Filipino: Malabago, Dangliu, Ragindi
Hawaii: Hau
Hindi: समुद्री हिबिस्कस - चलवा - बोला - चेलवा - पोला - सफेद चीका Samudree hibiskas, Chalava, Bola, Chelava, Pola, Saphed cheeka
Indonesian: Waru, Baru, Waru laut, Dadap laut
Java: Waru, Waru laut, Waru lot, Waru lenga
Kannada: Bilipatta, Kaark Bendu, Samudra Theerada hatti, Kempu gogu
Khmer: ផ្កាឈូងសមុទ្រ
Konkani: Belipata, Kharikapusi
Lao: ດອກຊະບາທະເລ - ຮູຊວາ - ຕາຊົວ
Madura: Baru
Malagasy: Varo
Malayalam: Thaipparuthi, Aattuparuthi, Neerparuthi, Puzhapparuthi, Thalipparuthi, Velipparuthi
Malaysia: Baru, Bebaru
Maluku: Baru dowongi, Haru, Halu, Faru, Fanu, Papatale, Balo
Marathi: Belpata
Melayu: Baru
Nepali: समुद्री जाभा फुल Samudrī jābhā phula
Nusa Tenggara: Wau, Kabaru, Fau
Odia: Bania, Bananya
Oria: Bania, Halbali
Palauan: Cheremall, Chermal
Papua: Kasyanaf, Wakati
PNG: Banj, Pow, Valu
Pontianak: Dadap laut
Samoa: Fau
Sanskrit: Bala
Sinhala: මුහුදු හිබිස්කස් Muhudu hibiskas
Sulawesi: Lamogu, Molowagu
Sumatera: Siron, Buluh, Bou, Tob, Melanding
Sunda: Waru
Tagalog: Balibago
Tamil: கடல் செம்பருத்தி - காட்டுப்பூவரசு - நிற்பததி - அட்டுபருத்தி - நீர்-பி-பருத்தி - தாலி-பி-பருத்தி Kaṭal cemparutti, Kāṭṭuppūvaracu, Niṟpatati, Aṭṭuparutti, Nīr-pi-parutti, Tāli-pi-parutti
Telugu: Cherigogu, Chettugogu, Erragogu, Ettagogu, Seema Gangareni, Yetagogu
Thai: ปอทะเล
Tongan: Fau
Vietnam: Cây Vau

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