You know this flower, right?
Yeah yeah, this is a hibiscus flower, at its stunning best. You'll see it all over India, wherever you go. But did you know:That hibiscus is traditionally burnt in ghee to form a black dye for eyebrows?
That in Bengal, it is the favourite flower of the Goddess Kali?
That the women of Kerala have traditionally used the hibiscus to make a soapy shampoo?
And if you knew all that, then - aha - I bet you didnt know these things:That Polynesian women use the bark of the hibiscus to make grass skirts?
That karkade, or hibiscus tea is said to have been a favourite drink of the Pharaohs?
That hibiscus is called "shoe flower" because it was used to polish shoes in Jamaica?
God, I love wikipedia.
Yeah yeah, this is a hibiscus flower, at its stunning best. You'll see it all over India, wherever you go. But did you know:
Hibiscus I would know mostly (except from some in Spain) as a favourite "potplant" of my mum..Pots AND flowers being huge..so not a sorry little half dead minor plant thingy of the kind I might keep alive..I'm not surprised about Wikipedia's concept for the use of it's colors as eyebrow dye or "shoepolish".. My mums favourite is a threat to anything "white" I might wear when getting too close to admire them..
ReplyDeleteI love wikipedia too.. Great pitcure.
ReplyDeleteThx,
Ken
where can i get hibiscus powder in bombay?
ReplyDelete