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Oct 21, 2015 9:29 AM CST
Name: greene
Savannah, GA (Sunset 28) (Zone 8b)
I have no use for internet bullies!
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This post is to answer the question by @gardengus.

The photo I posted is the Hibiscus sabdariffa after the flower dies back. . If allowed to remain on the plant the seeds inside would ripen and could be planted next season. But to make tea we harvest sooner. Only the outer part is used for tea, the calyx, not the seed pod inside.

I don't know what the Tropical Hibiscus contains as I have never used it. Roselle/Jamaica Tea/Sorell/Hibiscus sabdariffa is what I use and it is tasty, bright red and very tangy. Yes, I have grown it here in Savannah.
Here is a photo of the plants I grew in pots just in case I had to bring them in the house when the cold weather arrived.

The bright red calyx is the part used for tea.
The bloom looks like this:

Here is the Wikipedia link showing what I drink; it shows the dried calyx used to make the tea; a photo of a bag of Flor de Jamaica calyces. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

This link explains that "Hibiscus Tea" is made from Hibiscus sabdariffa:
https://www.organicfacts.net/h...

When companies make "Hibiscus Tea" and put it into a box and add some artwork, they often put a "wrong" photo on the box.
Here is an example of misinformation on the internet...
http://lcimag.com/2014/08/hibi...
...the article talks about Hibiscus sabdariffa...but look at the photo! It looks like this one:

C'mon, y'all know that is a tropical Hibiscus bloom...which is NOT what is inside the box. So why do tea companies do that? Because the red Tropical Hibiscus looks prettier than the Roselle/Jamaica Tea/Sorell/Hibiscus sabdariffa!

Video of a cute kid harvesting the pods:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Peeling the calyx from the seed pod can be a pain, very time consuming. Here is my favorite video made by a very inventive woman; she used a broken umbrella handle and invented a fast, easy way to remove the pods while leaving the calyx intact for a better appearance and more salable product (the audio in not in English):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
Sunset Zone 28, AHS Heat Zone 9, USDA zone 8b~"Leaf of Faith"

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