Flora of Zimbabwe: Cultivated plants
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Abelmoschus esculentus
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Photo: Bart Wursten
Borrowdale Common, nr cnr Lanner Ave/Teviotdale Ave
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| Synonyms: |
Hibiscus esculentus L. |
| Common names: | Derere (Shona) Derere rechipudzi (Shona) Idelele (Ndebele) Lady's fingers (English) Okra (English) |
| Description: | Annual herb, up to 2 m, widely cultivated for its edible fruit. Leaves up to 25 cm, almost round in outline, deeply, palmately lobed, more or less densely hairy on both surfaces, particularly on the veins; margin serrate. Flowers in terminal clusters or solitary in the leaf axils, up to 8 cm in diameter, yellow with a purple centre. Epicalyx with 10-12 bracts, narrowly linear triangular, up to 25 mm. Fruit a capsule, more or less narrowly ellipsoid, up to 14 cm. |
| Notes: | The fruits are edible and cooked as a vegetable. When not harvested, the fruits dry out and become woody, splitting lengthwise along the 6-8 ridges, exposing the seeds (see photo). |
| Derivation of specific name: | esculentus: edible |
| Flowering time: | |
| Worldwide distribution: | Native of Tropical Asia, now widely cultivated throughout the tropics. |
| Growth form(s): | Annual. |
| Insects associated with this species: | |
| Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
| Image last updated: | Sunday 21 January 2007 |
| Literature: |
Exell, A.W. (1961). Malvaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Pages 423 - 426. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 60. |
Other sources of information about Abelmoschus esculentus:
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Flora of Mozambique: Abelmoschus esculentusFlora of Zambia: Abelmoschus esculentus
Flora of Zimbabwe: Abelmoschus esculentus
External websites:
African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Abelmoschus esculentusAfrican Plant Database: Abelmoschus esculentus
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Abelmoschus esculentus
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Abelmoschus esculentus
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Abelmoschus esculentus
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Abelmoschus esculentus
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Abelmoschus esculentus
JSTOR Plant Science: Abelmoschus esculentus
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Abelmoschus esculentus
Plants of the World Online: Abelmoschus esculentus
Tropicos: Abelmoschus esculentus
Wikipedia: Abelmoschus esculentus
| Home | > | List of cultivated families | > | Malvaceae subfamily Malvoideae | > | Abelmoschus | > | esculentus |