HI Everyone
I have been researching Hibiscus Roselle and am feeling confused.
Most sites offering the seeds give the color of the flowers as either white, creamy yellow or light pink.
However when I order the flower from Mountain. Rose Herbs they are a deep red color.
Is there a Roselle variety that has red flowers? And are the flowers on the others also tart in flavor?

It is not the whole flowers of the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) that are dried and used, but just the red sepals at the base of the flower. The petals of the flower, which are typically white, are not used.

That was what I thought. But Mountain Rose Herbs sells those two parts separately. I have bought the whole flower from them and it is definitely the petal and not the calyx (sp) it is way too long to be anything but the petal of the flower..
at first i thought it was a different variety but is says Hibiscus sabdariffa on the label

I think they(M.R.H) may be mistaken in the labeling
I noticed the flowers they sell come from Egypt
the seed they sell seem to be the true (sabdariffa)
I have grown the sabdariffa from seed several times , never has a red flower
I have also harvested the flowers from a H. acetosella for tea it dose not have nice large calyx
the red flower one(H. acetosella) grown very widely in Florida is often called false rosella

I hope what you ordered will work for your intended purpose

Thanks Cinda. I am looking for that red one since it is the flowers on that one that is supposed to be delicious.
S f yard easy zi ordered from MRH does do what I wanted it to. Namely increase the thickness of my hair and also to promote a deeper sleep when taken before bedtime.

Got some last year from Burpee

https://www.burpee.com/hibiscu...

I have grown three different H. Sabdariffa and have never had red blooms. I will be curious to hear what you find.


I made roselle jam from the calyces last year for the first time. It was really good. Good enough that I have a bed of plants already growing for this year.

I use Hibiscus sabdariffa for making shampoo and conditioners (I have allergies to every commercial product on the market). I've been doing that for years. Nobody uses the flower for anything that I have ever heard of, just the calyx. When I buy my Hibiscus powder, it always SAYS "Hibiscus flower" but its really the calyx. "Flower" is recognized by people where "calyx" would not be. Apparently the flower IS edible, but its the calyx that people make tea, jam, and hair conditioner/shampoo from. And the flower is white.

The calyx is quite large, larger than many actual flowers typically get. I occasionally get it whole from local bodegas or grocery stores that carry Hispanic food ingredients, I don't have any on hand or I'd take a picture of it for you. It looks like flower petals. It isn't. Here's a picture of the calyx showing how large it is: