Plant mucilages have found wide application in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Hence, it would be worthwhile to characterise the physical and chemical attributes of mucilages from commonly available plants for their beneficial utilization. Hibiscus rosasinensis Linn. (Family Malvaceae), widely grown as an ornamental throughout the tropics and subtropicsis a good source of mucilage. The present study focuses on the extraction of the mucilage from the leaves of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, its subsequent quantification and physico-chemical characterisation. A protocol was presently standardized for the yield optimization of mucilage from Hibiscus through detection of an appropriate maceration temperature and precipitation solvent. Further analyses revealed ideal pH value, swelling index, flow properties and particle size of Hibiscus mucilage. Moreover, chemical, FTIR spectral and electrokinetic data of Hibiscus mucilage revealed that it can be considered as a suitable blending ingredient in composites with potential industrial applications. INTRODUCTION: Mucilages are normal metabolic products formed from sugars and uronic acid units in plant cells. Hydrophilic nature of mucilagenous plant parts becomes evident from the viscous and slimy mass it forms when dissolved in water 1. Some of the mucilage rich plants are Aloe vera, Abelmoschus esculentus, Trigonella foenumgraceum, Asparagus racemosus, Lepidium sativum, Salvia hispanica, Althaea officinalis and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 2, 3. Generally, mucilages are merely considered as carbohydrate reserves in plant cells. However, reports show that they provide additional physiological benefits to plants including frost tolerance, water transport, wound response, plant host-pathogen interaction and maintenance of ionic balance of plant cells 4, 5 .