Do You Know the Benefits of Walking? Have at-Home Tests for the Flu? Hibiscus plants give us more than hibiscus braided tree flowers to grace our gardens. People also use them as food, especially for making beverages.

If you have sipped an herbal tea with a reddish color, hibiscus may have been part of the brew. The hibiscus family, botanical name Malvaceae, contains many interesting plants, including cotton, okra, and cacao. They have big, showy flowers, and many are used for fiber. The species that is most often used for food or tea is Hibiscus sabdariffa, also known as roselle or red sorrel.

The flowers, leaves, and seeds of the hibiscus can all be consumed, but the part that is used most often is the calyx. When a flower is still a bud, it is covered by leaf-like structures called sepals. Collectively the sepals are known as the calyx, plural form calyces. After hibiscus flowers die, their calyces become big, red, and juicy. In structure they are similar to rosehips, although their shape is more pointy. Sometimes called roselle fruit, hibiscus calyces are used in teas, sauces, syrups, and jellies. Health Benefits Some evidence points to hibiscus as having anti-cancer and anti-bacterial qualities.