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Little River Cooperative

"Auntie Lillis" South Sea Salad Tree

$15.00 USD
$15.00 USD
Sale Sold out

"Auntie Lillis" South Sea Salad Tree
abelmoschus manihot

days to maturity: 
plant spacing: 1 plant every 4 square feet
sunlight requirements: 6-14 hours
look out for: caterpillars and aphids
harvest notes: harvest large leaves as needed
perennial

This is a newer plant to us but we had been trying to get our hands on it for years and are super excited to now have it growing at the farm & in the nursery. Manihot, also known as sunset muskmallow, sunset hibiscus or South Sea Salad Tree, is technically not a hibiscus plant but its very similar to the whole family. 

Edible hibiscus is typically used either quick cooked or raw, as its leaves can get slimy if overcooked. The leaves are tender and buttery when picked young and are delicious raw. The older leaves can get as big as a dinner plate and are better cooked because of their more fibrous nature. The leaves of hibiscus family plants are high in vitamins A & C and in iron and are known to boost the immune system, and protect the heart and liver. This plant is described as sweet and cold energetically and in Traditional Chinese Medicine it is known to act on the kidney and bladder meridians.

Aunt Lilies is a highly variegated and ornamental variety with each leaf varying with shades of green, red, and white variegation. While this plant is called a salad tree we read that its max height is about 9 feet, so it's more like a salad shrub. Prune it regularly to keep the new growth low to the ground and to keep the plant nice and bushy. It propagates very easily from woody and newer stem cuttings, just stick a 6-8 inch piece into moist potting mix or a jar of water and it will root for you. If you are in a cold climate and you want to over winter your edible hibiscus plant I recommend taking some cuttings and keeping them small in pots through winter and then replanting anew in the springtime. 

Materials

All of our plants are produced using OMRI certified organic materials (potting mix, fertilizer & pesticides) however our nursery is not certified organic. Plants are shipped in compostable peat moss pots and we use heirloom & organic seeds whenever possible.

Shipping & Returns

We ship plant orders every Monday. Due to the nature of shipping plants we only offer expedited shipping for our live plant orders. Our returns & exchanges policy is also quite strict since its hard to control the quality of a plant once it leaves our facility, however we do our very best to make sure that each and every customer is satisfied with their plants. Read more about our policies here. 

Size

All of our plants are potted in 4" pots and their foliage size varies based on how large the plant is naturally when its root ball is the correct size for the pot. If a plant is too tall for our shipping box we may prune it to fit (bonus: many plants do better after being pruned since they make bushier growth). We do our very best to ship all of our plants in the "sweet spot" of maturity however so long as the roots have colonized the pot we will consider a plant mature enough to ship.

Care Instructions

When you receive your plant its critical to get it out of its box and into the light the day it arrives. It will also want to be removed from its compostable plastic wrapping and given fresh water to drink. Keep in mind, this plant was grown in the tropical humid climate of South Florida, so if it's terribly cold or dry where you are it'll need to be hardened off before planting outdoors. Visit our care instructions page for more thorough info about caring for your new plant friend.

  • What Our Customers Have to Say:

    This is a great, local organization with really knowledgeable & friendly staff. They make gardening easy and accessible, and I've purchased many high quality plants and equipment from them.
    -Kate Black (5 star google review)

  • And Another One:

    How lucky we are to have a resource like Little River Cooperative here in Miami, not only for the access they offer to a great selection of plants and produce, but also for the knowledge they provide and the sense of community they foster!
    -Nick Vagnoni (5 star google review)