Abelmoschus moschatus 

Dublin Core

Title

Abelmoschus moschatus 

Subject

Taxonomy
Phylum : Tracheophyta
Class    : Magnoliopsida
Order    : Malvales
Family   : Malvaceae
Genus   : Abelmoschus
Species : Abelmoschus moschatus 

Synonyms

Abelmoschus abelmoschus (L.), H.Karst. [Invalid], Abelmoschus betulifolia Wall., Abelmoschus chinensis Wall, Abelmoschus ciliaris Walp, Abelmoschus cryptocarpus Walp, Abelmoschus cubensis Walp, Abelmoschus cucurbitaceus Walp, Abelmoschus haenkeanus C.Presl, Abelmoschus marianus C.Presl, Abelmoschus palustris Walp, Abelmoschus pseudoabelmoschus (Blume) Walp, Abelmoschus roseus Walp, Abelmoschus sublobatus C.Presl, Hibiscus abelmoschus L., Hibiscus collinsianus Nutt. ex Torr. A. Gray, Hibiscus moschatus (Medik.) Salisb

Common name
Kapas Hantu, Kapas Hutan, Gandapura, Kasturi, Musk Mallow, Musk Okra, Ambrette, Mushkdana, Tropical Jewel Hibiscus

Description


Characteristics
An erect herb or subshrubs and usually annual or short-lived perennial reaching up to 4 m high.

Morphology

Stems
Hispid-pubescent with appressed whitish hairs to measurement about 3-4mm long, solid or hollow.

Leaves
 
Hastate, grows up to 30cm long and broad, shallowly to deeply 3 to 7 lobed, the divisions deltoid to oblong lanceolate, coarsely serrate, dentate to crenate and apices acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse, leaf-bases cordate or sagittate.

Petiole

20cm long, stipules linear to filiform and measures to 1 cm long.

Flowers
Solitary, bisexual, in upper axils, on apically expanded pedicels, at first, measuring 2-4 cm long, in flower; extending to 12-19 cm in fruit. The involucral bracts are 6-10 in number, linear to subulate or lanceolate, measuring 9-15 mm long and 1-2.5 mm broad, appressed, persistent in fruit. The calyx caduceus measures 1.8-3.5 cm long and 5-toothed at apex. The corolla is yellow in colour with a deep purple or crimson spot at base; petals asymmetrical, obovate, measuring 7-9 cm long, cilliate at base. The staminal column measures about 2.5-3 cm long. The capsule dry, 5-valved, thin-walled, ovoid to fusiform, apiculate, measuring 5-8 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, terete to slightly 5-angles and usually hispid are dark brown to blackish in colour.

Seeds
Ovoid, reniform, measures 3-4 mm long, concentrically striate-pubescent, especially around the hilum, grayish-brown to black in colour, with an oily musky taste and a musky odour when rubbed

Chemical compound
A. moschatus has been reported to contain 5-dodecenyl-acetate, 5-tetradecen-14-olide, 5-tetradecenyl-acetate, acetic-acid, alpha-cephalin, ambrettol, ambrettolic-acid, ambrettolide(=7-hexadecen-16-olide), decyl-acetate, decyl-alcohol, farnesol, fat, furfural, kaempferol, kaempferol-3-0-glucoside, methionine-sulfoxide, mucilage, myricicetin, myricicetin-3′-glucoside, myristic-acid, palmitic-acid, phosphatidyl-serine, phosphatidylcholine-plasmalogen, phosphatidylserine-plasmalogen, pineol, protein, quercetin, and quercetin-3′-glucoside

Plant part used
Seeds, roots and leaves

Traditional uses
  • A. moschatus seeds are considered antihysteric, antineurotic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, carminative, diuretic, litholytic, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic.
  • The roots and leaves are made into poultices to treat boils, cystitis and fever.
  • For the treatment of urinary discharge and gonorrhoea some use the seeds while others used a decoction of the leaves and roots.

Medicinal uses

  • Myricetin isolated from the aerial part of A. moschatus has antidiabetic activity which is able to enhance utlization of glucose.
  • Seed extracts of A. moschatus was able to prevent natural degradation of FGF-2 and maintaining the bioavailability of heparan sulphate proteoglycans for its target cells. It has skin protective activtiy which are skin biomechanical properties and reduction of wrinkles clinically.



List of country
Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Combodia, Laos, Vietnam

Creator

Abelmoschus moschatus (Medik,1787)

Publisher

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

Contributor

Nur Athirah Roshaizi

Language

English

Collection

Citation

Abelmoschus moschatus (Medik,1787), “Abelmoschus moschatus ,” BIDARA, accessed February 4, 2026, https://bidara.uthm.edu.my/items/show/9.

Output Formats

Geolocation