The flowers are 4–8 centimetres ( 1 + 5⁄ 8– 3 + 1⁄ 8 in) in diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The leaves are 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) long and broad, palmately lobed with 5–7 lobes. As a member of the Malvaceae, it is related to such species as cotton, cocoa, and hibiscus. The species is a perennial, often cultivated as an annual in temperate climates, often growing to around 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) tall. Botany and cultivation Pollen grains Cross-section of a pod It was commonplace throughout the Southern United States by 1800, and the first mention of different cultivars was in 1806. Thomas Jefferson noted it was well established in Virginia by 1781. By 1748, it was being grown as far north as Philadelphia. Okra may have been introduced to southeastern North America from Africa in the early 18th century. It was further documented in Suriname in 1686. The plant was introduced to the Americas by ships plying the Atlantic slave trade by 1658, when its presence was recorded in Brazil. Plants about one week after germination ( Oklahoma, USA) From Arabia, the plant spread around the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and eastward. Okra was introduced for the first time to Europe by the Umayyad conquest of Hispania, One of the earliest European accounts is by Abu al-Abbas al-Nabati who visited Egypt in 1216 and described the plant under cultivation by the locals who ate the tender, young pods with meal. Okra originated in tropical Africa and was cultivated in the Middle East and India for a long time, and in the nineteenth century AD wild okra plants were seen on the banks of the White Nile in Sudan. Humans have known okra since ancient times, and in the Greek and Roman eras that passed through Egypt, okra was planted and carved images of it were found on Pharaonic temples, and it is endemic in generally hot regions in Africa and Asia. Truly wild (as opposed to naturalised) populations are not known with certainty, and the West African variety has been described as a cultigen. However, proposed parents include Abelmoschus ficulneus, A. tuberculatus and a reported "diploid" form of okra. Okra is an allopolyploid of uncertain parentage. Origin and distribution Whole plant with blossom and immature pod Despite the fact that in most of the United States the word gumbo often refers to the dish, gumbo, many places in the Deep South may have used it to refer to the pods and plant as well as many other variants of the word found across the African diaspora in the Americas. The word gumbo was first used in American vernacular around 1805, deriving from Louisiana Creole, but originates from either the Umbundu word ochinggômbo or the Kimbundu word ki-ngombo. The first use of the word okra (alternatively okro or ochro) appeared in 1679 in the Colony of Virginia, deriving from the Igbo word ọ́kwụ̀rụ̀. Etymology Ībelmoschus is Neo-Latin from Arabic أَبُو المِسْك (ʾabū l-misk, "father of musk"), while esculentus is Latin for being fit for human consumption. Cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions around the world, okra is used in the cuisines of many countries. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with supporters of West African, Ethiopian, Southeast Asian, and South Asian origins. Okra ( US: / ˈ oʊ k r ə/, UK: / ˈ ɒ k r ə/), Abelmoschus esculentus, known in some English-speaking countries as lady's fingers, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. Abelmoschus longifolius (Willd.) Kostel.
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