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Abelmoschus esculentus Okra (1 Page of 5) The Abelmoschus esculentus plant species is found in The original habitat is obscure. It is a member of the Malvaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as Okra. Some home gardeners know the variety as Hibiscus esculentus. L. Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses Latin Name: Abelmoschus esculentus Common Name: Okra Family: Malvaceae Author: (L.)Moench. Known Hazards: The hairs on the seed pods can be an irritant to some people and gloves should be worn when harvesting. These hairs can be easily removed by washing[200]. Mature Height: 1 Mature Width: Habitat: Not known in a truly wild situation.
Edible Uses: Immature fruit - cooked on their own or added to soups etc[2, 27]. They can be used fresh or dried[183]. Mucilaginous[133], they are commonly used as a thickening for soups, stews and sauces[183]. The fruits are rich in pectin and are also a fair source of iron and calcium[240]. The fresh fruits contain 740 iu vitamin A[240]. The fruit should be harvested whilst young, older fruits soon become fibrous[133]. The fruit can be up to 20cm long[200].
Seed - cooked or ground into a meal and used in making bread or made into 'tofu' or 'tempeh'[183].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[2, 27, 133]. Probably the best of the coffee substitutes[74].
The seed contains up to 22% of an edible oil[55, 74, 177, 183, 240].
The leaves, flower buds, flowers and calyces can be eaten cooked as greens[183]. The leaves can be dried, crushed into a powder and stored for later use[183]. They are also used as a flavouring[133].
Root - it is edible but very fibrousy[144]. Mucilaginous, without very much flavour[144].
For further Abelmoschus esculentus gardening information click on one of the blue links below Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses Medicinal | Edible Uses
The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'. View their bibliography

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