''Abelmoschus manihot'', the aibika, is a

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

in the family

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar ...

. It was formerly considered a species of ''

Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. The genus is quite large, comprising several hundred species that are native to warm temperate, subtropical and tropical regions throughout the world. Member species ...

'', but is now classified in the genus ''

Abelmoschus ''Abelmoschus'' is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), native to tropical Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It was formerly included within ''Hibiscus'', but is now classified as a distinct ...

''. The plant is also known as the sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus, or hibiscus manihot.

Applications

In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

it is known variously as ''lagikway'', ''likway'', ''gikway'', ''barakue'', or ''nating saluyot''. Its leaves and shoots are eaten as a vegetable, similar to the related ''saluyot'' (''

Corchorus olitorius Jute mallow or nalta jute (''Corchorus olitorius'', also known as " Jew's mallow", "tossa jute", "bush okra", "krinkrin", "etinyung", " Mulukhiyah", Ademe (Adémé, in Togo) and "West African sorrel", among many other local names, often invoking t ...

''). The leaves are added to dishes like

tinola Tinola is a Filipino soup usually served as a main entrée with white rice. Traditionally, this dish is cooked with chicken or fish, wedges of papaya, and leaves of the siling labuyo chili pepper in broth flavored with ginger, onions and fi ...

sinigang ''Sinigang'' is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour and savory taste. It is most often associated with tamarind (Filipino: ''sampalok''), although it can use other sour fruits and leaves as the souring agent. It is one of the more ...

, and pinangat, or eaten in salads. In Japanese, this plant is known as ''tororo aoi'' and is used to make ''neri'', a starchy substance used in making the traditional Japanese paper ''

washi is traditional Japanese paper. The term is used to describe paper that uses local fiber, processed by hand and made in the traditional manner. ''Washi'' is made using fibers from the inner bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub (''Ed ...

''. In Korean, this plant is known as ''hwang chok kyu'' and is used to make ''dak pul'', which assists in making ''hanji'' (Korean paper).

Chemical constituents

chromatographic In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it through a system (a ...

and

spectroscopic Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wa ...

analysis published in '' China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica'' showed that aibika contained thirteen compounds:

myricetin Myricetin is a member of the flavonoid class of polyphenolic compounds, with antioxidant properties. Common dietary sources include vegetables (including tomatoes), fruits (including oranges), nuts, berries, tea, and red wine. Myricetin is struc ...

, cannabiscitrin, myricetin-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside, glycerolmonopalmitate, 2, 4-dihydroxy benzoic acid,

guanosine Guanosine (symbol G or Guo) is a purine nucleoside comprising guanine attached to a ribose (ribofuranose) ring via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Guanosine can be phosphorylated to become guanosine monophosphate (GMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (c ...

adenosine Adenosine ( symbol A) is an organic compound that occurs widely in nature in the form of diverse derivatives. The molecule consists of an adenine attached to a ribose via a β-N9-glycosidic bond. Adenosine is one of the four nucleoside building ...

maleic acid Maleic acid or ''cis''-butenedioic acid is an organic compound that is a dicarboxylic acid, a molecule with two carboxyl groups. Its chemical formula is HO2CCH=CHCO2H. Maleic acid is the ''cis''-isomer of butenedioic acid, whereas fumaric ac ...

, heptatriacontanoic acid, 1-triacontanol,

tetracosane Tetracosane, also called ''tetrakosane'', is an alkane hydrocarbon with the structural formula H(CH2)24H. As with other alkanes, its name is derived from Greek for the number of carbon atoms, 24, in the molecule. It has 14,490,245 constitutional ...

β-Sitosterol β-sitosterol (beta-sitosterol) is one of several phytosterols (plant sterols) with chemical structures similar to that of cholesterol. It is a white, waxy powder with a characteristic odor, and is one of the components of the food additive E499 ...

, and beta-sitosterol-3-O-beta-D-glucoside.

Nutrition

Although technically a shrub, aibika is a perennial which, under good conditions, can grow to over three meters in height. It is reputedly an extremely nutritious vegetable. Its leaves are very high in vitamins A and C, and iron, and have 12% protein by dry weight. Moreover, it is easily propagated from cuttings, easy to cultivate, relatively disease-resistant and even is considered to be of medicinal value. It is widely planted either along borders of gardens or as an intercrop throughout many traditional gardens in the tropics.Thaman, R.R. Rural Fiji. Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific 1988, p. 41. File:Abelmoschus manihot (5171146007).jpg

References

External links

Abelmoschus manihot (L.) Medic.
Medicinal Plant Images Database (School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University) {{Authority control

manihot ''Manihot'' is a genus in the diverse milkspurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It was described as a genus in 1754.Miller, Philip. 1754. Gardeners Dictionary...Abridged...fourth edition vol. 2 Species of ''Manihot'' are monoecious . . trees, shrubs a ...

Flora of China Flora of the Indian subcontinent Flora of Malesia Flora of New Guinea Oceanian cuisine Melanesian cuisine Polynesian cuisine Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus