''Abelmoschus'' is a genus of about fifteen species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...

s in the mallow family (

Malvaceae Malvaceae, or the mallows, is a family of flowering plants estimated to contain 244 genera with 4225 known species. Well-known members of economic importance include okra, cotton, cacao and durian. There are also some genera containing familiar o ...

), native to tropical

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...

and northern Australia. It was formerly included within ''

Hibiscus ''Hibiscus'' is a genus of flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), gras ...

'', but is now classified as a distinct genus. The genus name derives from Arabic meaning 'father of musk' or 'source of musk' referring to the scented seeds. The genus comprises

annual Annual may refer to: * Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook **Literary annual * Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

and

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition ...

plants, growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 10–40 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 3-7 lobes, the lobes are very variable in depth, from barely lobed, to cut almost to the base of the leaf. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

s are 4–8 cm diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

is a capsule, 5–20 cm long, containing numerous

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s. ''Abelmoschus'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e of some Lepidoptera species including ''

Chionodes hibiscella ''Chionodes hibiscella'' is a moth in the family Gelechiidae. It is found in North America, where it has been recorded from Connecticut and Illinois to South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The wingspan is 16–17 mm. The costa ...

'' which has been recorded on ''A. moschatus''.

Species

Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants ...

'' currently includes:Plants of the World Online: ''Abelmoschus'' Medik. (retrieved 8 August 2021)
/ref> # ''

Abelmoschus angulosus ''Abelmoschus angulosus'' is a plant species in the family Malvaceae, found in the Indian Subcontinent, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania be ...

'' Wall. ex Wight & Arn. # ''

Abelmoschus caillei ''Abelmoschus caillei'', the West African okra, is a plant species in the family Malvaceae. It occurs in humid areas of West and Central Africa, where it is used as a vegetable.Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Afr ...

'' (A.Chev.) Stevels – (syn. ''Hibiscus manihot'' var. ''caillei''). West African okra # ''

Abelmoschus crinitus ''Abelmoschus crinitus'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the mallow family. It was first described by Nathaniel Wallich in 1830. Habitat ''A. crinitus'' is native to China, the Philippines, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vi ...

'' Wall. – (syb. ''Hibiscus crinitus'') # ''

Abelmoschus enbeepeegearensis ''Abelmoschus'' is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), native to tropical Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It was formerly included within ''Hibiscus'', but is now classified as a distinct ...

'' K.J.John, Scariah, Nissar, K.V.Bhat & S.R.Yadav # ''

Abelmoschus esculentus Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...

'' (L.) Moench – (syn. ''Hibiscus esculentus'').

Okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with sup ...

# ''

Abelmoschus ficulneus ''Abelmoschus ficulneus'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus '' Abelmoschus'', family Malvaceae. Commonly known as white wild musk mallow or native rosella, it is fibrous perennial with a woody stem. Its flowers are about an inch in ...

'' (L.) Wight & Arn. – (syn. ''Hibiscus ficulneus'').

White wild musk mallow ''Abelmoschus ficulneus'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Abelmoschus'', family Malvaceae. Commonly known as white wild musk mallow or native rosella, it is fibrous perennial with a woody stem. Its flowers are about an inch in d ...

# ''

Abelmoschus hostilis ''Abelmoschus hostilis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the Malvaceae family. It is native to Bangladesh and Myanmar and is known as "Kantabhendi" in Bengali. Taxonomy The species is sometimes treated as a synonym of ''A. tetraphyllus ...

'' (Wall. ex Mast.) M.S.Khan & M.S.Hussain # ''

Abelmoschus manihot ''Abelmoschus manihot'', the aibika, is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It was formerly considered a species of ''Hibiscus'', but is now classified in the genus '' Abelmoschus''. The plant is also known as the sunset muskmallow, sunse ...

'' (L.) Medik. – (syn. ''Hibiscus manihot'').

Aibika ''Abelmoschus manihot'', the aibika, is a flowering plant in the family Malvaceae. It was formerly considered a species of '' Hibiscus'', but is now classified in the genus ''Abelmoschus''. The plant is also known as the sunset muskmallow, sun ...

# '' Abelmoschus moschatus'' Medik. – (syn. ''Hibiscus abelmoschus'').

Abelmosk ''Abelmoschus moschatus'' (Abelmosk, ambrette, annual hibiscus, Bamia Moschata, Galu Gasturi, muskdana, musk mallow, musk okra, ornamental okra, rose mallow, tropical jewel hibiscus, Yorka okra) is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the family ...

# '' Abelmoschus muliensis'' K.M.Feng # ''

Abelmoschus palianus ''Abelmoschus'' is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), native to tropical Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It was formerly included within '' Hibiscus'', but is now classified as a distinct ...

'' Sutar, K.V.Bhat & S.R.Yadav # ''

Abelmoschus sagittifolius ''Abelmoschus'' is a genus of about fifteen species of flowering plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), native to tropical Africa, Asia and northern Australia. It was formerly included within '' Hibiscus'', but is now classified as a distinct ...

'' (Kurz) Merr.

Uses

Several species are edible, with both the young seed pods and the young leaves being eaten as a

vegetable Vegetables are parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. The original meaning is still commonly used and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including the flowers, fruits, stems ...

. The most important commercially-grown species is

okra Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with sup ...

. ''Abelmoschus manihot'' (aibika) furnishes cordage like

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

, and ''Abelmoschus moschatus'' (abelmosk) is grown for musk seeds (musk ambrette, a

musk Musk ( Persian: مشک, ''Mushk'') is a class of aromatic substances commonly used as base notes in perfumery. They include glandular secretions from animals such as the musk deer, numerous plants emitting similar fragrances, and artificial s ...

substitute, which can cause

phytophotodermatitis Phytophotodermatitis, also known as berloque dermatitis or margarita photodermatitis, is a cutaneous phototoxic inflammatory reaction resulting from contact with a light-sensitizing botanical agent followed by exposure to ultraviolet light (from t ...

Gallery of different species

Abelmoschus sagittifolius at Kudayathoor.jpg, ''

'' in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W IMG 2169.jpg, ''

'' ssp. ''tetraphyllus'' in

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...

. Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W IMG 2166.jpg, ''

'' ssp. ''tetraphyllus'' in

. Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W IMG 2157.jpg, ''

'' ssp. ''tetraphyllus'' in

. Abelmoschus manihot ssp tetraphyllus W2 IMG 2157.jpg, ''

'' ssp. ''tetraphyllus'' in

. Abelmoschus ficulneus (Jungli Bhendi) leaves in Kawal, AP W IMG 2221.jpg, ''

'' leaves in

Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary Kawal Tiger Reserve is a nature preserve located at Jannaram mandal of Mancherial District (Old Adilabad district) in the Telangana state of India. The government of India declared Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary to be a Tiger Reserve in 2012. The r ...

. Abelmoschus ficulneus (Jungli Bhendi) leaves in Kawal, AP W IMG 2216.jpg, ''

'' leaves in

. Abelmoschus ficulneus (Jungli Bhendi) in Kawal, AP W IMG 2214.jpg, ''

'' flower in

. Abelmoschus ficulneus (Jungli Bhendi) fruit in Kawal, AP W IMG 2218.jpg, ''

'' fruit in

References

* Kundu BC, Biswas C. 1973. Anatomical characters for distinguishing the genera ''Abelmoschus'' and ''Hibiscus''. ''Proc. Indian Sci. Congr.'' 60. (3): 295 {{Taxonbar, from=Q866047 Malvaceae genera Paleotropical flora