Hello my Steemit friends,
When you see the hibiscus flowers, what do you have in mind?
For me, hibiscus flowers remind me of Hawaii because everytime I read or watch documentation about Hawaii, I would see Hawaian girls wearing this flower behind their ears.
Hibiscus flowers have so many varieties and the one you see in this photo is called hibiscus rosa sinensis. I took the pictures in the beach of Sikuai Island, Padang, West Sumatra. They had fallen to the ground yet they still showed their beauty.
Many of us might not know that this flower has many uses as described by Wikipedia as follows.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis are edible and are used in salads in the Pacific Islands. The flower is additionally used in hair care as a preparation. It is also used to shine shoes in certain parts of India. It can also be used as a pH indicator. When used, the flower turns acidic solutions to a dark pink or magenta color and basic solutions to green. It is also used for the worship of Devi, and the red variety is especially prominent, having an important part in tantra. In Indonesia, these flowers are called "kembang sepatu", which literally means "shoe flower". In several countries the flowers are dried to use in a beverage, usually tea (Source).
Cool, huh? And by the way, did you know that hibiscus rosa sinensis is the national flower of Malaysia? Well, I didn't know, but now I do :D