Picking Roselle Fruits (朋友邀約採洛神花)

#2019-1106

Roselle  [roˈzɛl] is a species of Hibiscus probably native to West Africa. The roselle is known as the rosella or rosella fruit in Australia. In Chinese, roselle is known as luo shen hua (洛神花). Other Chinese names include 玫瑰茄, 山茄, 洛神葵, 洛神果, 洛濟葵, etc.

According to eBabyName, the meaning of Roselle is "rose flower." And its origin is "French nickname of the English name Rose." (Rose is an English variant of the Latin word rosa, which refers to the flowering shrub.) Roselle is a form of Rose and is generally pronounced like "roh ZEL" (that is, [roˈzɛl]). And, as I've guessed, the Chinese name "luo shen hua" is a kind of "transliteration" -- the sound of 洛神 (luo shen) being derived from Roselle.

Anyway, the following pictures were taken this morning in front of Mr. Guolong Fang and his wife's farmhouse, which is located at Nangang, Guoxing Township (國姓鄉). Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Fang for their invitation and their hospitality!