Okra

Abelmoschus is Neo-Latin from Arabic أَبُو المِسْك (ʾabū l-misk, "father of musk"),[5] while esculentus is Latin for being fit for human consumption.[6]

The first use of the word okra (alternatively; okro or ochro) appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia, deriving from the Igbo word ọ́kwụ̀rụ̀.[7] The word gumbo was first used in American vernacular around 1805, deriving from Louisiana Creole,[8] but originates from either the Umbundu word ochinggômbo[9] or the Kimbundu word ki-ngombo.[10] Despite the fact that in most of the United States the word gumbo often refers to the dish, gumbo, many places in the Deep South may have used it to refer to the pods and plant as well as many other variants of the word found across the African diaspora in the Americas.[11]

Whole plant with blossom and immature pod

Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage. However, proposed parents include Abelmoschus ficulneus, A. tuberculatus and a reported "diploid" form of okra.[12] Truly wild (as opposed to naturalised) populations are not known with certainty, and the West African variety has been described as a cultigen.[13]

Humans have known okra since ancient times, and in the Greek and Roman eras that passed through Egypt, okra was planted and carved images of it were found on Pharaonic temples, and it is endemic in generally hot regions in Africa and Asia. Okra originated in tropical Africa and was cultivated in the Middle East and India for a long time, and in the nineteenth century AD wild okra plants were seen on the banks of the White Nile in Sudan. Okra was introduced for the first time to Europe by the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, One of the earliest European accounts is by Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati who visited Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with meal.[14] From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward.[15]

Plants about one week after germination (Oklahoma, USA)

The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade[16] by 1658, when its presence was recorded in Brazil. It was further documented in Suriname in 1686. Okra may have been introduced to southeastern North America from Africa in the early 18th century. By 1748, it was being grown as far north as Philadelphia.[17] Thomas Jefferson noted it was well established in Virginia by 1781. It was commonplace throughout the Southern United States by 1800, and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806.[14]

Pollen grains

Cross-section of a pod

The species is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates, often growing to around 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. As a member of the Malvaceae, it is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers are 4–8 centimetres (1+5⁄8–3+1⁄8 in) in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The pollens are spherical and approximately 188 microns in diameter. The fruit is a capsule up to 18 centimetres (7 in) long with pentagonal cross-section, containing numerous seeds.

Abelmoschus esculentus is cultivated throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous fruits or pods containing round, white seeds. It is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetable species in the world and will tolerate soils with heavy clay and intermittent moisture, but frost can damage the pods. In cultivation, the seeds are soaked overnight prior to planting to a depth of 1–2 centimetres (3⁄8–13⁄16 in). It prefers a soil temperature of at least 20 °C (68 °F) for germination, which occurs between six days (soaked seeds) and three weeks. As a tropical plant, it also requires a lot of sunlight, and it should also be cultivated in soil that has a pH between 5.8 and 7, ideally on the acidic side.[18] Seedlings require ample water. The seed pods rapidly become fibrous and woody and, to be edible as a vegetable, must be harvested when immature, usually within a week after pollination.[19] The first harvest will typically be ready about 2 months after planting, and it will be approximately 2–3 inches (51–76 mm) long.[18]

The most common disease afflicting the okra plant is verticillium wilt, often causing a yellowing and wilting of the leaves. Other diseases include powdery mildew in dry tropical regions, leaf spots, yellow mosaic and root-knot nematodes. Resistance to yellow mosaic virus in A. esculentus was transferred through a cross with Abelmoschus manihot and resulted in a new variety called Parbhani kranti.[20]

In the United States much of the supply is grown in Florida, especially around Dade in southern Florida.[21][22] Okra is grown throughout the state to some degree, so okra is available ten months of the year.[21] Yields range from less than 18,000 pounds per acre (20,000 kg/ha) to over 30,000 pounds per acre (34,000 kg/ha).[21] Wholesale prices can go as high as $18/bushel which is $0.60 per pound ($1.3/kg).[21] The Regional IPM Centers provide integrated pest management plans for use in the state.[21]

In 2021, world production of okra was 10.8 million tonnes, led by India with 60% of the total, with Nigeria and Mali as secondary producers.

Okra production – 2021
Country	(Millions of tonnes)
India	6.47
Nigeria	1.92
Mali	0.67
Sudan	0.32
Pakistan	0.26
World	10.82
Source: FAOSTAT[23]

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  Large okra plants
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  A giant okra pod
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  Flower close-up
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  Stamen and pollen
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  Young seedling showing cotyledons
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  Fresh-picked fruits
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  Bhindi bharta, a South Asian dish

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Abelmoschus esculentus.

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• Okra

Look up okra in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Abelmoschus esculentus in West African plants – A Photo Guide.