Okra
Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a mallow-family plant whose edible young pods are mucilaginous; native to West Africa, it is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics as a vegetable.
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Okra — Pod (cross-section)Okra — Plant
Okra — Plant & leaves
Okra — Flower
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Okra — PodsOkra — Pod (cross-section)Okra — PlantOverview
An annual or perennial herb up to 2–2.5 m tall. Leaves are 10–20 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. Flowers are 4–8 cm across with five white or yellow petals, usually with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The fruit is a capsule up to 18–20 cm long with a pentagonal cross-section, holding numerous seeds. A member of the mallow family (Malvaceae), it is related to cotton and hibiscus; it was first described as Hibiscus esculentus L. (1753) and moved to Abelmoschus (1794).
Okra is native to West Africa (some sources cite the Ethiopian highlands); the word 'okra' comes from Igbo. It is grown across the tropics, subtropics and warm temperate zones for its unripe green pods (some cultivars are red). Because the pods release mucilage when cooked, okra is used to thicken stews and soups — the classic example being gumbo. In Vietnam, okra is boiled and dipped in fish sauce, stir-fried with garlic or cooked in soup, and the young pods are eaten. Besides the pods, the young leaves and seeds are edible; roasted seeds have been used as a coffee substitute.
Life cycle
From seed to productGermination & seedling
Seeds are sown and seedlings grow fast in warm soil; young stems are thick and tender.
Plant & leaves
Stems reach up to 2 m; leaves are 10–20 cm, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes.
Flowering
Flowers 4–8 cm across, five white/yellow petals with a red or purple spot at the base.
Harvesting young pods
Young pods 5–10 cm are picked while still tender, before they become fibrous; frequent picking keeps the plant productive.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- West Africa / Ethiopia (origin)30%
- Middle East · South Asia20%
- Americas · Caribbean20%
- Grown across the tropics (incl. Vietnam)30%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- MucilageWater-soluble polysaccharides25%
- Dietary fibreHigh fibre content25%
- Vitamins C, K, folateRich in vitamins C and K20%
- CarbohydrateEnergy source of the young pod20%
- Protein & minerals (Ca, Mg, K)Contains calcium, magnesium, potassium10%
Uses
- Young pods boiled, stir-fried with garlic, in soups or fried; mildly sweet, and their mucilage thickens stews (gumbo)
- Young leaves and seeds are edible; roasted seeds used as a coffee substitute; mucilage used in cooking and industry
- Vietnam: boiled and dipped in fish sauce or stir-fried with garlic; a summer vegetable eaten as young pods
Properties
- Stem
- Thick, tender herb up to 2–2.5 m tall
- Leaf
- Palmately 5–7 lobed, 10–20 cm
- Flower
- 5 white/yellow petals, red/purple basal spot
- Fruit
- Pentagonal capsule, many seeds, mucilaginous
Habitat & conservation
A tropical and subtropical species favouring warmth, loose well-drained soil, and it tolerates drought fairly well; a summer season crop. In Vietnam it is commonly grown in summer in the lowlands and midlands.
Conservation
Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List. Okra is widely cultivated across the tropics and subtropics and is not threatened.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) — mô tả, nguồn gốc, sử dụng — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 3Đậu bắp — đặc điểm, nguồn gốc, giá trị dinh dưỡng — Vietnamese Wikipedia, 2026
- 4Nguồn ảnh: Wilfredor (CC0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Earth100 (CC BY-SA 3.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: ADARSHluck / Flocci Nivis (CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC BY 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Dinkun Chen (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: ArionStar (CC0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 9Nguồn ảnh: agnesabah (CC BY 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,