Mahogany Hibiscus?

[Seri]

Hi there. Does anyone happen to know if mahogany hibiscus has the same type of nutritional value for a sulcata as regular tropical hibiscus? I really love the darker foliage and I am working on building up a tortie friendly garden.

https://goo.gl/images/cbVVGQ

 

[RosemaryDW]

Welcome to the forum!

Pretty sure all the hibiscus are nutritionally similar.

I wonder if the purplish red leaves reflect higher levels of anthocyanins than green ones? (Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties.) Let’s ask @Will, along with whether it matters.

It’s still going to be a good tortoise food, just curious.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

Reds are a group of pigments that tortoises seem attracted to, both Anthocyanins and Betalins. I have not found much where we can see the nutritional content of something as simple the the leaves versus the stems in Romaine, let alone a resource for different cultivars of plants.

I have a few types of hibiscus growing and feed them out, all seem universally accepted. All of these are in the same family as cotton, okra and others and all seem to be at least palatable to tortoises. Unless we were to grow them side by side in the same field and had them analyzed, I don't think we will find the answer to the original question as the what the difference in food value can be found, but it seems likely that as a hibiscus, if they decide to eat it more than once, it's probably okay.

 

[Seri]

Thank you for your responses!