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.

Gallery

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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)