Roselle: Green Senagalese
(Hibiscus sabdariffa)
Roselle is an annual plant with a tangy-flavored calyx used in drinks, sauces, or eaten fresh. The calyx is the fleshy structure left after the flower has faded. The leaves are edible and eaten raw or cooked. Fresh leaves contain 2-3% protein and traces of calcium, phosphorus, and iron. Roselle does not flower until days shorten. It can be grown in temperate regions for leaf production, but most likely will not flower and produce the fleshy calyx before the plant is killed back from low temperatures.
This variety has green edible leaves that are used in culinary dishes in Senegal. The green calyxes of this variety are not as tart, nor as sweet, nor as fleshy as the calyxes of the red roselle.