Okra

Okra/Lady’s finger

Scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

Bangla/local name: Derosh

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1981)

Kingdom        : Plantae

Division          :Magnoliophyta

Class               :Magnoliopsida

Subclass          :Dilleniidae

Order             :Malvales

Family             :Malvaceae

Genus             : Abelmoschus

Species            : A. esculentus

Botanical Description of Okra

Okra known in many English-speaking countries as ladies’ fingers, bhindi, bamia, ochro or gumbo

Habit: Annual herb or some time perennial.

 Root: Okra has a strong taproot, which grows up to 50cm deep; spreading up to 45cm.

Stem: Erect, hairy i.e. toughed hairy.

Leaf: The leaves are spirally arranged, the leaf-blade is palmate with five to seven lobes and up to 50 cm in diameter, with few spines; petiole up to 50 cm long.

Figure Leaf Anatomy of Okra

Flower: The flowers are 4-8cm in diameter and have a dark purple centre.

Fruit: The fruit is a cylindrical to pyramidal capsule, usually ribbed, spineless in cultivars, 5-20cm long, 1-5 cm in diameter.

Table 1. Popular okra variety developed by Horticulture Research Centre, BARI, Joydebpur, Bangladesh

Economic Importance: Tender fruits of okra are an important vegetable, consumed raw, cooked or fried. The leaves are sometimes used as spinach or cattle feed. The bast yields a strong useful fiber, which is long and silky, and is used for making cord. Okra mucilage is suitable for medicinal and industrial applications. Seeds contain a considerable amount of good quality oil and protein. Okra provides a good source of vitamins and minerals and compared with other fleshy fruits like tomato, eggplant etc. it is particularly rich in calcium.