Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Spanish term or phrase:
agua de jamaica
Spanish answer:
infusión de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa (flor de Jamaica o rosa de Jamaica)
Added to glossary by
Charles Davis
Jul 21, 2015 17:15
8 yrs ago
5 viewers *
Spanish term
Harry Watson
agua de jamaica
Spanish
Other
Food & Drink
Posted the question previously and no one answered the question that was asked. The beverage in question is agua de Jamaica. The question that is being asked is whether or not the use of the expression "de Jamaica" is truly synonymous with the term "de la flor de hibisco". To put it another way, if I am at the florists and I see a hibiscus, is it accurate to refer to that flower as a "flor de Jamaica" or is the use of the expression "de Jamaica" exclusively descriptive of the beverage. In conversation, someone saw me drinking "agua de Jamaica" and I explained that I was drinking a beverage made from the hibiscus flower and the individual said "Jamaica" was the term for hibiscus and I said, "No", the flower is hibisco and the beverage is commonly called agua de Jamaica. I did not know the reason for the use of the term "de Jamaica" but the flower itself is "hibisco". Are we looking at a distinction without a difference?
If I am taking a botany test in Spanish and I see a picture of a hibiscus, and I identify it as "flor de Jamaica" have I answered the test question correctly?
If I am taking a botany test in Spanish and I see a picture of a hibiscus, and I identify it as "flor de Jamaica" have I answered the test question correctly?
Change log
Jul 21, 2015 18:00: philgoddard changed "Language pair" from "Spanish to English" to "Spanish"
Jul 26, 2015 16:32: Charles Davis Created KOG entry
Responses
5 hrs
Selected
infusión de cálices de Hibiscus sabdariffa (flor de Jamaica o rosa de Jamaica)
Normally Spanish-Spanish questions are asked and answered in Spanish, so I've given a definition in Spanish above, but I'll explain my answer, and try to address your questions, in English.
The drink called "agua de Jamaica" in Spanish has that name because it is made from a plant whose common name in Spanish is "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica". In fact it is an abbreviated form of "agua de flor de Jamaica". Specifically, the drink is made from the calyces of this plant (a calyx is a set of sepals, which form a covering for the flower in bud and a support for the petals when the flower opens).
The scientific name of this plant is Hibiscus sabdariffa. As the name suggests, it is a type of hibiscus, but not the only type, by any means. There are several hundred species of hibiscus around the world. This particular one, native to tropical Africa, grows in Mexico and Central America and in Asia, among other places.
The drink is often called hibiscus tea in English, but it is only made from this particular type of hibiscus. The name "flor/rosa de Jamaica" and the drink have nothing to do with Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or any other species apart from Hibiscus sabdariffa.
"Flor/rosa de Jamaica" is also called "rosella" in Spanish, and its normal common name in English is roselle. It is also called sorrel in the English-speaking Caribbean, confusingly, because it is quite different from true sorrel (Rumex acetosa, another medicinal plant).
The name "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica" is specifically used for this plant in Mexico and Central America, and agua de Jamaica is particularly popular in Mexico. The name "Jamaica" is used as an alternative to "hibiscus tea" in the U.S.
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/08/tea-technique-how-to-b...
So to answer your specific questions, "de Jamaica" means "de flor de Jamaica", and it is not synonymous with "de la flor de hibisco", because there are many kinds of "flor de hibisco", and "flor de Jamaica" is just one specific kind. "Jamaica" does not only refer to the beverage; it refers to the plant from which it is made, but although it is true that "flor de Jamaica" is a hibiscus, it is not true that this Spanish term applies to hibiscus in general; it only applies to the particular hibiscus known as roselle.
In your botany test, if your hibiscus is roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and you identify it as "flor de Jamaica", you are right, but not if it is any other species of hibiscus.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2015-07-21 22:50:21 GMT)
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I think the key point to bear in mind, in the light of your question, is that despite the name "hibiscus tea", "hibiscus" is not one particular plant, it is any one of a whole range of related plants, and "flor de Jamaica" is just one of these. To put it another way, hibiscus is a genus, not a species.
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Note added at 4 days (2015-07-26 16:34:05 GMT) Post-grading
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I'm very glad. Thank you!
The drink called "agua de Jamaica" in Spanish has that name because it is made from a plant whose common name in Spanish is "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica". In fact it is an abbreviated form of "agua de flor de Jamaica". Specifically, the drink is made from the calyces of this plant (a calyx is a set of sepals, which form a covering for the flower in bud and a support for the petals when the flower opens).
The scientific name of this plant is Hibiscus sabdariffa. As the name suggests, it is a type of hibiscus, but not the only type, by any means. There are several hundred species of hibiscus around the world. This particular one, native to tropical Africa, grows in Mexico and Central America and in Asia, among other places.
The drink is often called hibiscus tea in English, but it is only made from this particular type of hibiscus. The name "flor/rosa de Jamaica" and the drink have nothing to do with Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or any other species apart from Hibiscus sabdariffa.
"Flor/rosa de Jamaica" is also called "rosella" in Spanish, and its normal common name in English is roselle. It is also called sorrel in the English-speaking Caribbean, confusingly, because it is quite different from true sorrel (Rumex acetosa, another medicinal plant).
The name "flor de Jamaica" or "rosa de Jamaica" is specifically used for this plant in Mexico and Central America, and agua de Jamaica is particularly popular in Mexico. The name "Jamaica" is used as an alternative to "hibiscus tea" in the U.S.
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2011/08/tea-technique-how-to-b...
So to answer your specific questions, "de Jamaica" means "de flor de Jamaica", and it is not synonymous with "de la flor de hibisco", because there are many kinds of "flor de hibisco", and "flor de Jamaica" is just one specific kind. "Jamaica" does not only refer to the beverage; it refers to the plant from which it is made, but although it is true that "flor de Jamaica" is a hibiscus, it is not true that this Spanish term applies to hibiscus in general; it only applies to the particular hibiscus known as roselle.
In your botany test, if your hibiscus is roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) and you identify it as "flor de Jamaica", you are right, but not if it is any other species of hibiscus.
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Note added at 5 hrs (2015-07-21 22:50:21 GMT)
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I think the key point to bear in mind, in the light of your question, is that despite the name "hibiscus tea", "hibiscus" is not one particular plant, it is any one of a whole range of related plants, and "flor de Jamaica" is just one of these. To put it another way, hibiscus is a genus, not a species.
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Note added at 4 days (2015-07-26 16:34:05 GMT) Post-grading
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I'm very glad. Thank you!
Note from asker:
| Your explanation was concise, well documented, and much appreciated. Our discussion on this subject is now closed and we are confident that with your explanation, we can now share with others this interesting question. |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Terrific explanation: have passed it along, thank you"
2 hrs
Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
United States
United States
Each translation a gem!
Native in: English (Variant: US) 
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English
Spanish term (edited):
flor de jamaica
Spanish common name of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
I changed the title of your question, which is about the flower, not the tea. Many plants have multiple common names, so it's no surprise that Spanish has both "hibisco" (based on the Latin) and another name as well, which may be named after the country--we don't know at this point. That's why botanists don't mess around with common names.
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Note added at 3 hrs (2015-07-21 20:19:26 GMT)
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It's also true the other way around: a single common name can refer to multiple plants (e.g., 'mock orange', which is used to refer to 5 different plants). This confusion led Linnaeus to organize the botanical world using Latin-based names that would be specific for each plant. His system is still used to this day and has been vastly extended. It is a universal language that has been adopted worldwide, facilitating communication about the living world. (I learned this in botany classes.)
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Note added at 3 hrs (2015-07-21 20:19:26 GMT)
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It's also true the other way around: a single common name can refer to multiple plants (e.g., 'mock orange', which is used to refer to 5 different plants). This confusion led Linnaeus to organize the botanical world using Latin-based names that would be specific for each plant. His system is still used to this day and has been vastly extended. It is a universal language that has been adopted worldwide, facilitating communication about the living world. (I learned this in botany classes.)
Discussion
Main article: Hibiscus tea
The tea made of hibiscus flowers is known by many names in many countries around the world and is served both hot and cold. The beverage is well known for its color, tanginess and flavor.
It is known as bissap in West Africa, "Gul e Khatmi" in Urdu & Persian, agua de jamaica in Mexico and Honduras (the flower being flor de jamaica) and gudhal (गुड़हल) in India. Some refer to it as roselle, a common name for the hibiscus flower. In Jamaica, Trinidad and many other islands in the Caribbean, the drink is known as sorrel (Hibiscus sabdariffa; not to be confused with Rumex acetosa, a species sharing the common name sorrel). In Ghana, the drink is known as soobolo in one of the local languages.
In Cambodia, a cold beverage can be prepared by first steeping the petals in hot water until the colors are leached from the petals, then adding lime juice (which turns the beverage from dark brown/red to a bright red), sweeteners (sugar/honey) and finally cold water/ice cubes.
In Egypt,[citation needed] Sudan and the Arab world, hibiscus tea is known as karkadé (كركديه), and is served as both a hot and a cold drink.
Como Phil mencionó bien, su nombre botánico es Hibiscus sabdariffa. En cuanto a la bebida, tiene diferentes nombres dependiendo del lugar: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agua_de_Jamaica
Con un poco de Google, se resuelve....
I think you're confusing matters by heading your question "agua de Jamaica". If I understand you correctly, you really want to know what "flor de Jamaica" means. Am I correct? If so, it appears to be a particular species of hibiscus, H. sabdariffa.