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| About 40-100 species, including: Corchorus aestuans |
Corchorus is a genus of about 40-100 species of flowering plants in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. Different common names are used in different contexts, with Jute applying to the fibre produced from the plant, and Melokhia (alternatively spelled Molokhiya, Molohiya, Mulukhiyah, Molehiya or Molocheiya; Arabic: ملوخية) applied to the leaves used as a vegetable. The Molokhiya is also popular in Japan as vegetable and commonlly called Moroheiya (モロヘイヤ). Other names include Bush Okra, Nalta jute, Jute Mallow, and Jew's Mallow.
They are tall, usually annual herbs, reaching a height of 2-4 m, unbranched or with only a few side branches. The leaves are alternate, simple, lanceolate, 5-15 cm long, with an acuminate tip and a finely serrated or lobed margin. The flowers are small (2-3 cm diameter) and yellow, with five petals; the fruit is a many-seeded capsule.
The genus Oceanopapaver, previously of uncertain placement, has recently been synonymized under Corchorus.
Uses
The plants of Corchorus genus satisfy the world with great amounts of fiber needs. The fibers from these plants are the most widely cultivated vegetable fiber after cotton. Thus it gives fibers that are the second most important fiber in the world in terms of production and uses.
See Jute for details about the fiber crop production.
Young Melokhia leaves are used as a green leaf vegetable and used (mainly Corchorus olitorius) in southern Asia, Egypt and Cyprus and also (mainly Corchorus capsularis) in Japan and China. Called saluyot in Ilocano, it is a popular leafy vegetable in the Ilocos region of the Philippines. It has a mucilaginous (somewhat "slimy") texture when blanched in water briefly. The seeds are also used as a flavouring, and as a herbal tea is made from the dried leaves. Melokhia is eaten widely in Egypt, some consider it the Egyptians' national dish. It may have been brought to Lebanon, Palestine (Palestinian cuisine), Syria and Jordan, where it is typically made into a stew served over white rice and boiled chicken.
Benefits
Saluyot thrives almost anywhere, and can be grown year-round. Being one of the most nutritious vegetables, the leaves are rich in betacarotene, iron, calcium, and Vitamin C.
The plant has an antioxidant activity with a significant α-tocopherol equivalent Vitamin E.
References and external links
- Turkish-Cypriot Cuisine: Molohiya
- Malvaceae.info page on Corchorus
- The Golden, Copper, and Silver Fibers Contains information and images about some plants of Corchorus & Hibiscus genus.
- Molokheya: An Egyptian National dish contains culinary and historical information.
- [1]
- Whitlock, B. A., K. G. Karol, and W. S. Alverson. 2003. Chloroplast DNA Sequences Confirm the Placement of the Enigmatic '
'Oceanopapaver within Corchorus (Grewioideae: Malvaceae s.l., Formerly Tiliaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 164: 35–41 (abstract here).