Here you see our first Hibiscus of the winter, as it opened fully yesterday. These flowers are perhaps the sexiest flowers in the world. When they decide to offer themselves, they offer all they have.
They slowly unfurl in the shape of a cosmic explosion, with exotic colors that attract hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. With a little help from those friends, the flowers propagate themselves. They contain both male (stamen) and female (pistil) organs.
In Tahiti, Hawaii, and other Pacific islands, the tradition is that a woman wearing a red Hibiscus flower behind her right ear is looking for a relationship. On a more mundane level, when dried, the flowers reportedly are delicious. On a very practical level, the flowers are used to make teas that are diuretics. (Brooklin, Maine)