Scientific Name
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench
Common Name(s)
Okra, Okro, Ladies' Fingers, Ochro
Synonym(s)
Hibiscus esculentus, Abelmoschus bammia, Abelmoschus longifolius, Abelmoschus officinalis, Abelmoschus praecox, Abelmoschus tuberculatus, Hibiscus ficifolius, Hibiscus hispidissimus, Hibiscus longifolius, Hibiscus praecox
Scientific Classification
Family: Malvaceae
Tribe: Hibisceae
Genus: Abelmoschus
Origin
The geographical origin of this species is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, and South Asian origins. It is cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world.
Flower
Color: White to yellow
Bloom Time: Blooms freely throughout the growing season to frost
Description
Abelmoschus esculentus is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates. It grows up to 6.7 feet (2 m) tall. Leaves are up to 8 inches (20 cm) long, as wide as long, and palmately lobed with 5 to 7 lobes.
The flowers are up to 3.2 inches (8 cm) in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. They last only for one day, but plants bloom freely throughout the growing season to frost. The fruits are up to 17.2 inches (18 cm) long capsules with pentagonal cross-sections containing numerous seeds.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zone 5a to 11b: from −20 °F (−28.9 °C) to 50 °F (+10 °C).
How to Grow and Care
Okra needs full sun. It will grow in ordinary garden soil but does best in fertile loam, particularly where a nitrogen-fixing crop, such as early peas, grew previously.
In the South, plant the first crop in the early spring and the second crop in June. In short-season areas, start plants indoors six weeks before setting them out (3 to 4 weeks after the last frost date). Sow two seeds per peat pot and clip off the weaker seedling.
When seeding Okra directly in the ground, wait until after the soil has warmed and the air temperature is at least 60°F (16°C). Then, use fresh seed and soak it overnight or nick each seed coat with a file to encourage germination. Sow the seeds 0.5 inches (1.2 cm) deep in light soil and 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep in heavy soil; spacing is 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart in rows 3 feet (90 cm) apart. Thin seedlings to 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) apart, always leaving the strongest of the young plants.
See more at Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Okra Plants.
Links
- Back to genus Abelmoschus
- Plantpedia: Browse flowering plants by Scientific Name, Common Name, Genus, Family, USDA Hardiness Zone, or Origin
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