| Latin Name: | Abelmoschus esculentus |
| Common Name: | Okra |
| Family: | Malvaceae |
| Synonyms: | Hibiscus esculentus. L. |
| 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]. |
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Author: (L.)Moench.
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| Habit: Annual |
| Habitat: Not known in a truly wild situation. |
| Height: 1.0 Width: |
Cultivation Details:
Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun and a pH around 6 to 6.7[200] but it tolerates a wide range of soil types and pH from 5.5 to 8[200]. Requires a warm sunny position sheltered from winds[200]. Likes plenty of moisture, both in the soil and in the atmosphere[133].
Commonly cultivated in warm temperate and tropical areas for its edible seedpod, there are many named varieties[183, 200]. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it sometimes succeeds outdoors in hot summers but is really best grown in a greenhouse. Plants dislike low night temperatures[133]. There are some early-maturing varieties that are more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions and these could be tried outdoors[200]. These include 'Clemson's Spineless', 'Emerald Spineless', 'Long Green' and 'Green Velvet'[200].
The flowers are much visited by bees but they may require syringing in order to improve fertilization when plants are grown in a greenhouse.
Plants resent being transplanted[133].
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Propagation Notes:
Seed - sow early spring in a warm greenhouse. Germinates in 27 days at 15°c or 6 days at 35°c[133]. Plant out after the last expected frosts[200].
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