About Chief Kubo's Prize
Beautiful, shiny, deeply cut leaves with magenta-red veins and stems. Plants grow quickly and benefit from pruning to encourage more leaf production. Light yellow 4–5" flowers may bloom before fall (the plant used to be in the Hibiscus genus). Native to southeast Asia.
In Japan, pounded and then soaked roots yield a gooey substance used in making traditional paper (washi).
About Spinach, Hibiscus
Young shoots and leaves can be eaten raw, in smoothies, or lightly cooked. Like its cousin, okra, leaves can have a pleasantly slippery texture when cooked. Older leaves are used like cabbage leaves to wrap foods. Easily propagated from cuttings. Known by many, many other names, such as "aibika," Queensland greens, sunset hibiscus, slippery cabbage, bele tree, salad tree, and tree spinach.