Abelmoschus esculentus Okra (Malvaceae)

Browse Plants Articles

Power Search!

Browse Botanic Names

Sponsored By KhorWills

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.

General Uses: A fibre obtained from the stems is used as a substitute for jute[57, 61, 74, 169]. It is also used in making paper and textiles[171]. The fibres are about 2.4mm long[189]. When used for paper the stems are harvested in late summer or autumn after the edible seedpods have been harvested, the leaves are removed and the stems are steamed until the fibres can be stripped off. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then put in a ball mill for 3 hours. The paper is cream coloured[189]. A decoction of the root or of the seeds is used as a size for paper[178].

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
Useful Edible Plants Future