Okra

Plant Characteristics

Habit		herbaceous
Lifespan:	⌛	perennial
Origin:	✈	Ethiopia
Bloom:	❀	mid summer, late summer, early fall

Cultivation

Features:	✓	edible

Scientific Names

Malvaceae >

Abelmoschus >

esculentus >

Okra, or lady's finger, is a flowering plant with small green pods in the mallow family Malvaceae, originating somewhere near present-day Ethiopia. The word okra is of West African origin and is cognate with "ókùrù" in Igbo.

It is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant, growing to 2 m tall, straight up with very little phototropism. The leaves are 10–20 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. The flowers 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 is a capsule, 5–20 cm long, containing numerous seeds.

Cultivation

Raw okra pods

Okra is grown throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world for its fibrous pods full of round, white seeds, which, when picked young, are eaten as a vegetable.

Okra growing in a home garden

Okra is among the most heat- and drought-tolerant vegetables in the world; once established, it can survive severe drought conditions. Tough frosts can kill the pods, so the plants should be protected in colder climates. Okra is harvested and eaten young as it gets very woody when mature.

Prefers a well-drained humus rich fertile soil in full sun and a pH around 6 to 6.7^RH but it tolerates a wide range of soil types and pH from 5.5 to 8^RH. It prefers a soil with a high potash content²⁶⁴. The plant requires a warm sunny position sheltered from winds^RH. It likes plenty of moisture, both in the soil and in the atmosphere¹³³. Okra is commonly cultivated in warm temperate and tropical areas for its edible seedpod, there are many named varieties^183RH. Most cultivars require about 4 months from sowing before a crop is produced, though some early maturing varieties can produce a crop in 50 days in the tropics²⁶⁴. This species is not very hardy in Britain, it sometimes succeeds outdoors in hot summers but is really best grown in a greenhouse since it prefers daytime temperatures of 25°c or more²⁶⁰. Plants also dislike low night temperatures¹³³. There are some early-maturing varieties that are more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions and these could be tried outdoors^RH. These include 'Clemson's Spineless', 'Emerald Spineless', 'Long Green' and 'Green Velvet'^RH. 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 transplanted¹³³.

Propagation

Okra seeds are normally soaked overnight^wp before planting and then planted 1-2 cm deep^wp when the ground is warm^wp; they will tolerate poor soils^wp with heavy clay^wp and intermittent moisture^wp. Germination ranges from six days (soaked seeds)^wp to three weeks (watered seeds followed by a cool spell)^wp. Seedlings require good watering^wp.

You may sow seeds in early spring in a warm greenhouse^pf. The seed germinates in 27 days at 15°c or 6 days at 35°c¹³³. When large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts^RH.

Cultivars

• 'Annie Oakley' - The slender, five-angled pods are light green in colour and 18 - 22cm long¹⁸³. They are spineless and remain tender as they grow to a large size¹⁸³. An F1 hybrid, it ripens earlier than open-pollinated cultivars and can therefore succeed in cooler climates, though it is still more suited to protected cultivation in Britain^183k. The plants are compact, uniform and heavy yielding, reaching a height of about 1 metre¹⁸³. A harvest can be produced within 45 days from sowing the seed¹⁸³.
• 'Blondy' - The spineless, ribbed pods are an attractive creamy-lime in colour¹⁸³. They are best picked when about 8cm long and are crisp and firm yet tender and not stringy¹⁸³. A short-season cultivar for cooler regions, it can produce a crop within 48 days from sowing and has performed well in trials as far north as Canada¹⁸³. The short, compact plants are up to 90cm tall and are very productive¹⁸³.
• 'Burgundy' - Growing about 1 metre tall with pods up to 20cm long²⁶⁴. It tolerates cooler weather than many other cultivars, though still requires warmer temperatures than are usually experienced in Beitish summers.
• 'Cajun Queen' - The bright, spineless, tapered pods are about 12cm long with 6 well-defined ridges¹⁸³. They have an intense flavour and a rich colour, so do not fade into the background when cooked in stews etc¹⁸³. An early, productive, very hardy cultivar, it grows up to 1 metre tall and can produce a crop within 50 days from sowing the seed¹⁸³.
• 'Clemson's Spineless' - An early-maturing variety that is more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions, it is worthwhile trying it outdoors in Britain^RH.
• 'Dwarf Green Longpod' - Plants are up to 90cm tall with pods to 20cm²⁶⁴. A fast-maturing plant, it can crop within 50 days from seed²⁶⁴.
• 'Emerald Spineless' - An early-maturing variety that is more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions, it is worthwhile trying it outdoors in Britain^RH.
• 'Green Velvet' - An early-maturing variety that is more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions, it is worthwhile trying it outdoors in Britain^RH.
• 'Long Green' - An early-maturing variety that is more tolerant of cooler temperate conditions, it is worthwhile trying it outdoors in Britain^RH.
• 'Pentagreen' - The five-angled, slightly spiny pods are medium-green in colour and up to 15cm long, though for best quality they should be harvested when about half that size¹⁸³. An early and high-yielding cultivar, producing sturdy, compact plants from 45 - 75cm tall¹⁸³. They are very productive, even in areas usually considered too cool for okras¹⁸³. They can produce a crop within 55 days from sowing the seed¹⁸³.

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Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Read about Okra in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Okra, or Gumbo (Hibiscus esculentus) is a half- hardy plant introduced into United States and West Indies from Africa, and cultivated for its fruit pods, which are used in soups, stews, catsups, and the like (Fig. 2569). In soups and catsup, it gives body to the dish; stewed, it is mucilaginous, and while at first not agreeable to many persons, a taste for it is easily acquired. It is also dried and canned for winter use. When ripe, the black or brown white-eyed globular seeds are sometimes roasted and used as a coffee substitute. Okra should be sown in a dry warm soil, of medium fertility and texture, after danger of frost has passed. It is important to select the correct type of land for growing okra. It should be a well-drained sandy loam, or if clay only is available it should be a loamy clay, and a soil that is not likely to become water-logged during the rainy weather. The soil should be prepared deeply and thoroughly, the deeper the better, if the soil is good. The rows should be made 3 to 5 feet apart, according to variety, and seeds dropped about 2 inches apart in the row; cover 1 or 2 inches deep. After plants are 6 inches high, thin to 1 foot apart for dwarf varieties and to about 3 feet for the largest varieties. After the plants have been cut out to a proper stand in the row. frequent cultivation should be given. This is best performed with implements that cut rather deeply. The okra plants do not throw out many lateral roots in the early stages of growth if planted on the proper kind of soil. The seedlings transplant with considerable difficulty, so they need to be started in flower-pots if an extra-early crop is desired. The pods must be gathered before the fiber develops in them: the size will vary with the variety, but if it is too "stringy" to cut with a dull case-knife it is too old. Keep all old pods cut off. The dwarf varieties are in greater favor in the South because of their habit of bearing early. A plant, constantly cropped, remains in bearing condition until frost kills it, but allowed to retain pods it suspends growth until the seeds have matured, when a second growth may take place. Okra will grow for years if not killed by frost or other adverse conditions, i. e., it makes an indeterminate growth like cotton, malva, hibiscus, and the like. For shipping, cut the stems (peduncles) an inch or so long so as to prevent wilting in transit. Pack firmly in vegetable crates. The demand for this vegetable is increasing, especially in New York City. Seed is easily grown and saved. The plant is subject to several diseases to such an extent that it is impracticable to raise a crop on certain pieces of land. Rotation is the best remedy. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Okra in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Hibiscus esculentus, Linn. (Abelmischus esculentus, Moench). Okra. Gumbo. Annual: mostly strict, 2-6 ft. or more, the sts. terete and more or less hispid: lvs. cordate in outline, 3-5-lobed or divided, the lobes ovate-pointed and coarsely toothed or notched: bracteoles very narrow, about 1 in. long: fls. solitary and axillary, on inch-long peduncles, yellow, with a red center: fr. a long ribbed pod (5-12 in. long), used in cookery. Trop. Asia.—For cult., see Okra. A large- fld. form (var. speciosus, cf. H. manihot) in Gt. 43, p. 623. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

References

• http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Abelmoschus+esculentus
• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

External links

• w:Okra. Some of the material on this page may be from Wikipedia, under the Creative Commons license.
• Okra QR Code (Size 50, 100, 200, 500)