About Hibiscus Malaysia, Grow and Care Guide

Hibiscus Malaysia refers to one of the hibiscus species which is well-known as the national flower of Malaysia, namely hibiscus rosa-sinensis. In Malay, this hibiscus rosa-sinensis is called ‘Bunga Raya’.

in the 12th century this rosa-sinensis was introduced to the Malay Peninsula where it was also nominated as the national flower by the Ministry of Agriculture and several other flowers, including lotus, magnolia, jasmine, ylang and medlar. The government of Malaysia has been declared that hibiscus rosa-sinensis “hibiscus Malaysia” would be the national flower, In 1960.

Are you coming to this page to find out some facts about the national flower of Malaysia? If so, you’re at the right page, as this post will show you what you’re looking for about hibiscus rosa-sinensis. So, let’s check this post out below!

Overview

Hibiscus Malaysia known as  ‘Bunga Raya’ in Malay language. The word of “Bunga” means “flower” and “Raya” means “celebratory”.

The red petals of chinese rose “hibiscus Malaysia” symbolizes bravery, life, and rapid growth of the Malaysian, and the five petals of hibiscus malaysia represent the five ‘Rukun Negara of Malaysia’. You can find this hibiscus image printed on the Malaysian currency, namely “ringgit”.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is one such medical plant that has been known to be traditionally used for the management of bronchial asthma. This hibiscus species is a bushy, evergreen shrub or small tree which grows around 2.5 – 5 m (8 – 16 ft) tall and 1.5 – 3 m (5 – 10 ft) wide, with glossy leaves and solitary, the gorgeous red flowers in autumn and summer. And the petlas flowers are 10 cm in diameter with orange-tipped red anthers.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis known as chinese rose is a tropical plant, in cold-climates you need to bring them indoor. This is hardy outdoors in your gardening zone. Need to know, this beautiful flower does not tolerate temperatures below 10^oC (50^o F) where it’s basically Malaysian.

Talking about nativity, it is unclear where hibiscus rosa-sinensis originally came from as it has been bred for centuries, initially by the Chinese. However, at that time lot of botanists believed that this hibiscus as a red-flowering shrub originated in tropical southern Asia such as from southern China.

Characteristics

Hibiscus Malaysia has large, trumpet-shaped, conspicuous flowers, with five petals and their colors can be white to red, pink, peach, orange, and yellow or purple which are  4 – 18 cm broad. The flowers from numerous hybrids and cultivars  can be a single flower or a double flower.

Moreover, the flowers are bisexual, showy and large which can grow up to 25 cm wide, stalked and appearing singly from the upper leaf axils. The green calyx is at the bottom of every hibiscus flower. The pointed ends of the calyx are the sepals which are joined in a five-lobed cup with an epicalyx of five to seven lobes.

The petals start to grow, containing multiple petals and multiple colors when this hibiscus begins to bloom. The ovary and other female parts of the flowers stand in the primary structure of the hibiscus, the pistil, that is long and tubular. For more details of this hibiscus, you can click here!

The hibiscus has shiny green foliage with flowers like-funnel with a showy central tube stamens. Another fact, hibiscus leaves are simple, ovate and 8 to 10.5 cm long. The leaves are spirally arranged around a long stalk. For the ovoid fruit, it has up to 20 seeds which are beaked and split into five petals.

Growing and Taking Care

You can grow hibiscus rosa-sinensis in pot/containers by giving a tropical feeling around a pool. And you have to place this hibiscus in full sun or partial light shade. likely smaller flowers it will produce if there is more shade the plant gets. It’s highly recommended for you to place this plant near a southern or western facing window if overwintering.

For the soils, if you are growing hibiscus rosa-sinensis in a container, make sure to use a well-drained potting mix as the soil, preferably one formulated for tropical plants. While if you are growing outdoors, your soil must have lots of organic matter. In this case, the soil in both grow locations have to be well-draining, to avoid the risk of root rot.

Need to know, hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a thirsty plant where it will thrive and generate blossoms only if it’s given enough water. This plant may have to be watered daily, depending on the wind, heat, and humidity in your environment.

This hibiscus Malaysia prefers average temperatures between 55 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Moreover, this plant can be killed by even a few nights below 50 degrees Fahrenheit, so make sure to move it inside if cold weather is in the forecast.

In the case of fertilizer, hibiscus are carefree, but it still requires some fertilizer, if you buy a potted hibiscus. An easy way to keep plants fed throughout the growing season is with slow release fertilizers. If you want to use liquid fertilizer with a high middle number, you can apply it during the summer which can encourage stronger and more blooms.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are known to be susceptible to a few disease problems such as downy mildew, powdery and botrytis. With the help of beneficial birds and insects, this hibiscus rosa-sinensis can usually fight off most pests issues.

Benefits

Hibiscus Malaysia was developed into a juice-drink made of hibiscus flowers by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute, Universiti Malaya and the Terengganu government in 1992.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis including its leaves, roots and flowers were believed to have medical properties. A decoction of the root provides relief from sore eyes, fever and venereal disease. Then, the juice of the white flower was given to those who are suffering from sariawan, sprue or diphtheria and an ailment symptomatically similar to thrush.

Additionally, an infusion of the flowers was commonly used as an expectorant for bronchitis. The leaves were applied to boils and sores and also as poultice to provide relief from headaches and swellings.