Okra (scientific name: Abelmoschus esculentus) is a plant of Abelmoschus of Malvaceae, also known as Okra and Coffee Huang Kui, and its common names are Crotalaria and Melon. China, Jiangxi, Pingxiang and South China are planted. Because it looks like pepper, it is also called "foreign pepper". If you split them vertically with a knife, I'm afraid many diners will be scared away from the kitchen. Temperate, the origin is Africa, close to Ethiopia and tropical Asia today. At present, it is widely cultivated in tropical areas such as Europe, Africa, Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. Its edible part is pod, which is divided into green and red. Its characteristics are crisp and juicy, smooth but not greasy, and unique fragrance. In recent years, it has become a popular vegetable in Japan, Taiwan Province Province, Hongkong and western countries.
Okra is millet. The root system is developed, the absorption is strong, the stems are upright and branched, and the root depth is more than 1 meter.
The main stem is erect, with a height of 1~2.5m, a thickness of 5cm, red and green, cylindrical, short basal internodes, woody stems, several lateral branches at the basal internodes, and no lateral branches at the flowering nodes. Leaves palmately 5-lobed, alternate, with hairs or bristles on the leaves and slender and hollow petioles; The flowers are big and yellow and inserted in the axils of leaves.
Leaves alternate, the upper and lower surfaces of leaves are covered with coarse hairs, and the leaves are palmately 3-5-lobed or shallowly lobed. The leaves in the lower part of the plant are round, wide and large, and gradually narrow from the upper part. There are also kinds of round leaves, such as castor leaves. The petiole is long and hollow, and there are white transparent particles on the back of the leaves.
The flowers are axillary and begin to grow at the 4th ~10 node of the main plant. After that, each node usually grows a flower. Flowers are perfect, with yellow petals, usually 5 pieces, and dark red at the base. The flowering period is only a few hours, and it will wither in the afternoon. After the flowers wither, the tender fruits can be harvested in about 3-4 days. Palmately divided, with 5~7 lobes, lanceolate, and tapering at the apex; The edge is obtuse and serrated, and the petiole is slender and hollow. The flowers are 4~8cm in diameter, with white to yellow petals and red or purple spots at the root of the petals, which are gorgeous in color and have ornamental value.
The fruit is a capsule, which is more than 10 cm long, with a sharp apex, slightly curved, slender like a horn or pepper, thin as leather, and a sharp apex. The color of the fruit varies from light green to dark green and purple. Fruit shapes can be divided into long fruit shapes or short fruit shapes, ranging from 5 angles to many angles, and also round. Fruits contain special sticky substances and have special fragrance or flavor. When the fruit is ripe, it turns black, lignified, longitudinally cracked, and there is a membrane separation between ventricles. There are more than 10 seeds in each ventricle (sub-chamber), which are spherical, slightly smaller than peas and grayish brown. The fruit is 10~25cm in length and 1.9~3.6cm in transverse diameter. The surface of the fruit is covered with fine white fluff. When it is ripe, the fruit is lignified and inedible. The seeds are spherical, the size of mung beans, and the skin is thick and capillary. It contains many seeds. The seeds are spherical, gray-black, and the 1000-grain weight is about 55g.
Like warm climate, not cold-resistant, planted in deep fertile soil and sunny land. Okra is usually sown in March and germinates after 3-5 days. The seedling stage lasts for more than 40 days and begins to bear fruit in May. The growth cycle is generally more than 7 months.