Brunfelsia, a.k.a.
“Yesterday,Today
and Tomorrow”
(Digitalis Purpurea)
Family: Solanaceae
Other names for this plant are Morning-
Noon-and-Night, Kiss Me Quick and Brazil
Raintree.
The genus name 'Brunfelsia' commemorates
16th century German monk Otto
Brunfels. The specific epithet pauciflora,
refers to the Latin term for “few flowered.”
While these flowers are beautiful, offer
months of blooms and give off a sweetsmelling
fragrance, these plants contain poisonous
alkaloids. Seeds from the flowers
are poisonous as well, and the berries are
especially toxic.
Hibiscus
(Hibisceae)
Family: Malvaceae
Hibiscus plants, known for large, colorful
flowers, come in red, yellow, white and peach.
Red hibiscus flowers are often cultivated for
medical purposes and can be used as dietary
supplements. Egyptians used hibiscus tea to
lower body temperature, treat heart and
nerve diseases, and as a diuretic to increase
urine production. In Africa, tea was used to
treat constipation, cancer, liver disease, and
cold symptoms. Pulp made from the leaves
was applied to the skin to heal wounds.
Hibiscus tea, also called sour tea because
of its tart taste, is made from a mixture of
dried hibiscus flowers, leaves, and dark red
calyces (the cup-shaped centers of the flowers).
After the flower finishes blooming, the
petals fall off and the calyces turn into pods.
These hold the plant’s seeds. Calyces are
often the main ingredients in herbal drinks
containing hibiscus.