Hibiscus

*Hibiscus rosa-sinensis*

How to know it

A woody shrub with glossy toothed leaves and large trumpet flowers in red, pink, orange or yellow. The long central column carrying the stamens and stigma sticks straight out of the flower.

What it does

Grown ornamentally everywhere. The flowers are used to make a tart red tea in some varieties, and traditionally as a hair treatment across South Asia. In parts of the region the flower is used as a natural shoe polish, which children find hilarious.

Safety

Safe to handle and pick. Nothing on the plant is harmful.

Two things to do with children

Dissect one flower. Petals, stamens, stigma, all large enough to see without a lens. This is the flower every biology textbook uses, and you probably have one growing outside.

Rub a red flower on a piece of white paper and on a black shoe. Both work, and both lead somewhere different.