okra

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN)

Given the fact that it already grows almost everywhere in the tropical,

subtropical, and warm temperate regions, okra ( akar kapasan) would seem misplaced in a

book on lost crops. Furthermore, only in a few locations has it developed

into a major resource. Although perhaps a hundred nations know this

African species first hand, none has raised it to anything like the heights

attained by, say, cabbage, carrot, or common bean in the western world. For

this there seems good reason: People generally don’t take to okra ( akar kapasan). In a 1974

survey made by the United States Department of Agriculture, for instance,

adults named okra ( akar kapasan) as one of the three vegetables they liked least, and

children rated it with the four they liked second-least. 1

The sticky, mucilaginous juice inside the pods is the main objection. That slime blinds everyone to the plant’s greater potential. Of course, there are

places where okra ( akar kapasan) is regarded with something akin to reverence. Neither

New Orleans nor West Africa, for instance, would be the same without it. But, given the crop’s overall status, most observers would logically conclude that okra ( akar kapasan)’s natural limit as a global resource was reached long ago.

Seen in even broader perspective, however, that would be a suspect

conclusion. In reality okra ( akar kapasan) could have a future that will make people puzzle

over why earlier generations failed to seize the opportunity before their eyes. In the Botanical Kingdom it may actually be a Cinderella, though still living

on the hearth of neglect amid the ashes of scorn. Following are some reasons

why it could soon rise and take a place alongside the royalty of crop plants.

This plant is perfect as a villager’s crop. For one thing it is easy to grow,

robust, and little affected by pests and diseases. Also, it adapts to difficult

conditions and can grow well where other food plants prove unreliable. For

another, it provides good yields and possibly more products than any other

vegetable. For a third, it is full of nutrients. And, economically speaking, its products are within almost everyone’s reach.

LOST CROPS OF AFRICA 288

For a food resource, the okra ( akar kapasan) plant is strange; it is a coarse, upright herb

bearing fuzzy green pods somewhat reminiscent of beans. Their mucilage may turn off newcomers, but many Africans, and a growing number of

others, consider the slithery texture no deterrent—indeed, they see it as

perhaps okra ( akar kapasan)’s most desirable feature. A popular soup vegetable, very much

appreciated in West Africa for its thickening power, okra ( akar kapasan) pod is used both

fresh and dried.2 Dry pods are also pounded into flour that is commonly added to foods. In the Sahel, this flour is also used in the final stages of preparing couscous, as it prevents the granules sticking to each other. In America, where it appears almost exclusively in stews and soups, okra ( akar kapasan)

is usually seen in cross section, cut into disks that look like little cartwheels

with a seed nestled between each pair of spokes. Okra ( akar kapasan) is also the key ingredient in gumbo, the famous dish of the American South.

The plant is primarily employed, of course, as a vegetable; its pods,

seeds, leaves, and shoots, as well as the outer cover of the flowers (calyx) are all eaten as boiled greens. But that is just the beginning. Okra ( akar kapasan) seeds contain protein as well as oil possessing qualities like those of olive oil, the standard of excellence. And the seeds produce their protein and oil in goodly

quantities. One experiment in Puerto Rico documented yields of 612 kg per

hectare oil and 658 kg per hectare protein.3 Such quantities rival those of other oil-and-protein crops of both temperate and tropical zones.

Like soybean, the seed provides excellent vegetable protein for uses including full- and fat-free meals, flours, protein concentrates and isolates, cooking oils, lecithin, and nutraceuticals (foods with functional health benefits). Okra ( akar kapasan) protein is both rich in tryptophan and adequate in the sulfur-

containing amino acids, a rare combination that should give it exceptional

power to reduce human malnutrition. In addition, byproducts such as hulls

and fiber can be used for animal feeds.

Even the “slime” might be marketable. The plant could have a future in

serving the booming markets for health foods. Given an aging global

population increasingly concerned over sickness prevention, mucilage is big

business these days. Gums and pectins of a type comprising nearly half of

each okra ( akar kapasan) pod are thought to help lower serum cholesterol in the

bloodstream.4 Okra ( akar kapasan) is also widely recommended as one dietary tool to help stabilize blood sugar in diabetics, because its high soluble fiber may cut the

pace at which sugars are absorbed from the intestine.

The plant could have a future also as a supplier of commercial laxative

ingredients. Its gelatinous substances absorb water, swell, and ensure the

bulky stools that obviate and overcome constipation. Any and all dietary fiber is helpful but okra ( akar kapasan) seems to rank with two crops now commanding

multimillion-dollar markets: flaxseed and psyllium.5 In other words, this

vegetable may not only bind excess cholesterol and toxins but assure their

quick and easy passage out of the body.

The okra ( akar kapasan) plant could also provide the world with mucilage for topical

use. A similar polysaccharide gum comes from aloe vera, a traditional plant

exploding in use because its products are believed to help heal wounds, soothe burns, minimize frostbite damage, and perhaps provide other medicinal benefits. Despite a lack of detailed evidence, there seems no reason why okra (

LOST CROPS OF AFRICA 

now employ aloe vera. Already it is the hidden ingredient that makes catsup so hard to get out of the bottle. Okra ( akar kapasan) gum is also potentially useful as an

extender of serum albumin and egg whites. It has even been used to size

paper in Malaysia.

This versatile plant could also have a future producing top-of-the-line

paper of the sort used to make fine documents and currency. In this case, the

fibers on the outside of the stalk are used. Okra ( akar kapasan) has “bast fiber” like that of

its close cousin kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus). Both these fast-growing, look-

alike African cousins open the possibility of farmers joining foresters to fill

the world’s insatiable demand for paper. In the United States, kenaf has

already created a small industry. Kenaf is said to produce annually more paper per hectare than southern pine, the country’s most productive

papermaking tree. And it is harvested every five months, rather than every

30 years, which eases market planning and makes for many other

efficiencies. Moreover, kenaf paper is stronger, whiter, longer lasting, more resistant to yellowing, and has better ink adherence than pine-tree paper. Although it apparently hasn’t been tested yet, okra ( akar kapasan) paper seems likely to be

just as good.

Beyond all that, this plant could have a future also as a producer of

various products used to soak up liquids. These special materials are made from the pith that remains after the stem fiber has been stripped away. In

kenaf, this byproduct is proving suitable for animal bedding, for sopping up

oil spills, for chicken and kitty litter, and for potting soil. It seems likely that

okra ( akar kapasan)’s counterparts would be comparable.

Based on the rising experiences with its country cousin, okra ( akar kapasan) could, at least in principle, have a future producing yet more things that are strange

for a vegetable crop, including:

• Construction materials. (Kenaf-blend panels are said to perform

better than the present particleboard.)

• Handicrafts. (Kenaf fiber makes excellent mats, hats, baskets, and

more.)

• Forage. (Chopping up the whole kenaf plant and feeding it to

animals has proven successful.)

• Fuel. (Kenaf roots and stems of burn fiercely.)

In sum, this African resource could be a tool for improving nutrition, rural life, rural development, foreign exchange, and much more.

PROSPECTS

Seen in light of the above information, okra ( akar kapasan) might have a grand future as

an industrial crop. And there seems to be little difficulty in producing the

plant on a large scale. In the United States, for example, some is already

produced in quantities big enough for the pods to be canned, frozen, or brined for the nation’s supermarkets. As a fresh vegetable the crop’s

prospects are more enigmatic, but positive for all that. As with avocado or

whisky, the palate’s initial resistance usually mellows with greater exposure.

But at core, it is an African vegetable whose greatest beneficence may well

lie with its people.

Within Africa

Humid Areas Excellent. Fast-maturing types are well suited to tropical

heat and humidity.

Dry Areas Excellent. Although not structurally adapted to growing under desert conditions, the plant shows remarkable tolerance to drought and heat

and can generally perform reliably in Africa’s savanna regions.

 
here should

be no trouble finding varieties to fit into localities up to about 1,000 m in elevation that have a reasonable growing season.

Beyond Africa

Okra ( akar kapasan) is clearly not restricted to Africa. Indeed, it performs exceptionally well elsewhere. In South Asia as well as in tropical America, China, and

perhaps Australia and the United States, it might well become a new

agroindustrial resource.

USES

Everything part of this plant seems to offer some useful purpose or other.

Pods In their immature form the pods are the plant’s main edible portion. Although mainly employed as a boiled vegetable, they can be stir-fried,

battered and deep-fat fried, microwaved, steamed, baked, and grilled. Some are blanched and processed as a frozen (plain or breaded), pickled, or canned

product. Whether boiled, added to soups, or sliced and fried, the pods have a unique flavor and texture. They may be used alone or mixed with other

vegetables. Mucilage released when okra ( akar kapasan) slices are fried is known to be a

good thickening agent for gravy. In West Africa, young pods are thinly

sliced to prepare okra ( akar kapasan) soup, which has been called “a perfect partner with

fufu” (the region’s main staple, made of starchy roots).

Inside the dried pods the gums stay intact and remain useful for flavoring and thickening foods. West Africans slice, sun dry, and grind pods into a

powder that is put away for the hungry time that hits each year just before

the new harvest. In Turkey the pods are strung out to dry for winter use.

Seeds Typically, the seeds are obtained from pods that become too

mature to be eaten fresh. The cooked pods can also be squeezed to expel the seeds. Those seeds are commonly used in place of dried peas or beans or

lentils in soups or in other dishes, including rice.

Coffee Substitute Mature dried seeds can be roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. This was once widely used in places like El Salvador and

other Central American nations, Africa, and Malaysia. According to one

report “the resulting ‘coffee’ has a good aroma and is inoffensive, since it

lacks the stimulating effect of caffeine.” A prominent book on African wild

foods calls okra ( akar kapasan) “one of the best coffee substitutes known.”

Oil and Protein Okra ( akar kapasan) seed’s potential as a source of oil and protein has

 
l

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN) 293

This greenish-yellow liquid has a pleasant odor and a high (70 percent)

content of unsaturated fatty acids, especially linoleic and oleic. It has a short

shelf life but is readily hydrogenated and could be used to make margarine or shortening.

The residue left after oil extraction is a possible feedstuff. It contains

over 40 percent protein as well as relatively high amounts of thiamin, niacin,

and tocopherol. But some lingering questions of possible toxicity remain to be answered (see later).

Curd A research team in Puerto Rico has surprisingly found that okra ( akar kapasan) can

be turned into “tofu.”6 Led by Franklin Martin, the experimenters ground the

seeds finely in water, strained the aqueous mixture through a cloth filter, and precipitated the protein by adding bivalent salts (such as magnesium sulfate)

or acid (vinegar or lime juice). A taste panel found okra ( akar kapasan)-tofu pleasant to eat

fresh or cooked or as a cheese substitute. The protein and oil contents were

as high as 43 and 53 percent, respectively.7

Leaves In areas where a wide variety of leaves are eaten (notably West

Africa and Southeast Asia) tender okra ( akar kapasan) leaves are often part of the daily diet. They are most frequently cooked like spinach or added to soups and stews.

Some okra ( akar kapasan) varieties have hairy leaves, an objectionable feature reduced by

cooking; others are hairless. In West Africa the tender shoots, flower buds, and calyces are traditionally thrown into the pot as well. As with the pods,

okra ( akar kapasan) leaves are frequently dried in the sun, crushed, or ground to a powder, and stored for future use. In taste, they are somewhat acidic. By carefully picking lower parts of the plant it is possible to get a good crop of leaves without reducing the number of seedpods further up the stem.

Biomass At the end of the harvest season, the remaining foliage and

stems can weigh 27 tons per hectare. This is quite burnable. The stems

generate considerable heat but no sparks, excessive smoke, or bad smell. On

the other hand, these light stems burn only briefly and to be useful may need a special stove. With fuel costs rising worldwide and new technologies promising efficient conversion to liquid fuels, okra ( akar kapasan) biomass seems likely to

become notably useful, especially as more tropical forests are destroyed.

Mucilage Obtaining the mucilage is simple. Slices of the immature pod

are merely placed in water. Boiling thickens the mix. The mucilage is actually an acidic polysaccharide composed of galacturonic acid, rhamnose,

and glucose. It achieves maximum viscosity at neutral pH, and tends to

break down when overheated.

Ornamental Okra ( akar kapasan) is closely related to the common ornamentals known

as flowering hibiscus, making okra ( akar kapasan)’s large and attractive blossoms seem somehow familiar (although they are yellow and sometimes come with a

crimson center). The pods also have an interesting shape, and those that become too hard to eat can be dried, cured, and felicitously slipped into everlasting flower arrangements.

Medicinal Use People in the East have long used the leaves and immature fruit in poultices to relieve pain. NUTRITION

Okra ( akar kapasan) is more a diet food than staple. Pods are low in calories (scarcely 20 per 100 g cooked), practically no fat, and high in fiber. It does provide several valuable nutrients, including about 30 percent of recommended

levels of vitamin C (16-20 mg), 10-20 percent folate (46-88 􀈝g), and a little

more than 5 percent vitamin A (14-20 RAE).

The leaves provide protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. No

toxic substances have been reported in the leaves.

As noted earlier, the seeds are potentially a good source of an especially

nutritious protein. In screening a large collection of seeds in Puerto Rico, it

was found that their protein contents varied from 18-27 percent.8 The

protein’s amino-acid profile differed from that of either legumes or cereal

grains.9 It was rich in tryptophan (94 mg/g N) and had an adequate content

of sulfur-containing amino acids (189 mg/g N). This okra ( akar kapasan) protein thus

complements, balances, and fulfills that of cereal grains and legumes, not to mention root crops. One advantage to processing okra ( akar kapasan) seed is its simplicity. A hand mill and sieves were all it took to separate a high protein (33

percent), high oil (32 percent) meal from the hull.10

HORTICULTURE

Today, almost all okra ( akar kapasan) is interplanted with other crops in small farms, in

backyard gardens, and sometimes in truck farms established on the fringes of cities. Only in a few places is it grown alone on large commercial fields.

Most is direct seeded. Owing to the thick seedcoat, the seed is first soaked

overnight to improve germination. Seedlings can also be transplanted from a

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN) 295

nursery. Warm temperatures are needed both for good germination and good growth. Okra ( akar kapasan) is similar to cotton in its temperature requirements. Commercial okra ( akar kapasan) in the United States is planted at a population of 20,000-

30,000 plants per hectare.

The crop is relatively free from pests and requires only minimal

maintenance. However, in the southern United States, it can be subject to Verticillium and Fusarium wilts, and aphids, corn earworm, and stinkbugs

can be major insect pests.

HARVESTING AND HANDLING

Flowering begins about 2 months after planting. Each flower then

develops rapidly into a pod, which is typically harvested just 3-6 days after

the flower formed. Pods harvested at this stage are tender, flavorful, and about half grown. Any that remain on the plant quickly turn fibrous and

tough.

With proper field management, continuous flowering and high production can be maintained. Yields approaching 500 kg per picking per hectare (0.5 kg per plant) may be produced during a harvest period of 30-40

days. Okra ( akar kapasan) is usually harvested at least three times a week. The pods have a

high respiration rate and should be cooled quickly. Those in good condition

will keep satisfactorily for 7 to 10 days at 7 to 10°C. A relative humidity of

90 to 95 percent helps prevent shriveling.

LIMITATIONS

The most important step in any vegetable-okra ( akar kapasan) operation is harvesting

the pods correctly and regularly picking the pods every few days. That

induces more production and greatly increases yield.

Fresh okra ( akar kapasan) pods bruise easily, blackening within a few hours. A

bleaching type of injury may also develop when they are held for more than

24 hours without cooling.

Some okra ( akar kapasan) plants and pods have small spines to which some people are

allergic. Picking the crop can produce itchy arms.

NEXT STEPS

Of all the earth’s useful plants this is one of the most misunderstood.

Taken all round, it likely offers as many production possibilities as ever dreamed in a single plant. However, it also is stuck in a mental warp.

Although it holds enough potential to keep a dozen researchers productive for their lifetimes, few are seriously developing it at present.

Industrial Developmen

thus offers a possible route to prosperity for both small-scale and large-scale producers in numerous nations. Here are some options.

Oilseed No one knows the future okra ( akar kapasan) could have as an oilseed, but at

least at first sight it could be quite big. The oil is easily extracted using either solvent or mechanical press. Both the greenish-yellow color and the not unpleasant odor are easily removed. Machinery for harvesting the seed has

been developed and to extract the oil machinery designed for cottonseed can

be employed.

Needed now is a major follow-up to the work in Puerto Rico, which has

been overlooked since it was published decades ago.11 This should start with

test plantings large enough to yield samples of okra ( akar kapasan) seed oil and protein for

modern evaluation by chemists, food technologists, and industries that purchase vegetable oils and proteins. It’s a big undertaking, considering that okra ( akar kapasan) oil and okra ( akar kapasan) seed protein have never been produced in quantity before,

but it could open the door to a new agroindustry for the warmer regions of

the world.

Mucilage On the surface, there seems no reason why okra ( akar kapasan) mucilage

cannot play a part in supplying industries that now employ psyllium, flaxseed, and aloe vera. However, confirmation is needed. Issues needing

clarification include the performance of okra ( akar kapasan) product, safety, and likely price

range. Again, growers or researchers should produce enough for evaluation

by chemists, food technologists, and companies that buy mucilaginous

materials. Again, it could open up the possibilities to vast new industries for

many lands.

Paper Pulp Any reader who already grows okra ( akar kapasan) may by now be

wondering if we really know the plant. But that is only because the types grown for vegetable purposes are specially bred dwarfs, typically less than a

meter in height and surely inappropriate for papermaking or fuel or particleboard. However, among this species’ huge biodiversity are African

varieties with stems towering 5 m and “trunks” like small trees (up to 10 cm diameter). At least in principle, those can be harvested for pods, seeds, and

leaves and later felled for fiber or fuel. Some varieties even show a perennial

nature. This multi-year production—like the ratooning used with sugarcane—saves the expense, trouble, and delay that comes with making a

second planting.12

In the temperate-zone summer most of these tall, robust, West African okra ( akar kapasan)s bloom too late to set seed. Instead, they devote their considerable

energy to vegetative growth. Far surpassing garden varieties in the

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN) 297

production of fiber and biomass, they have the potential to revitalize okra ( akar kapasan)

breeding and okra ( akar kapasan) as a global resource.

These tall types should be obtained and put into worldwide trials. Some trials should involve side-by-side comparisons with kenaf.

Bioabsorbents Pith, as we’ve said, comprises a major part of the stem. In

kenaf it is proving suitable for animal bedding, oil-absorbents, chicken litter,

kitty litter, and potting soil. Okra ( akar kapasan) pith samples should be gathered and

compared with kenaf’s. For these purposes, the two crops are less in

competition than in cohoots. They can undoubtedly be marketed together

and perhaps even mixed, thereby building a bigger, broader, and safer base

of supply. Demand for bioabsorbents like these is likely to soar, both for the

needs of environmental health and public health around the globe.

Horticultural Development Although there has been considerable

selection and breeding of okra ( akar kapasan), it has emphasized the production of immature pods. The rest of the fantastic genetic diversity within this species is basically untapped, or even unexplored. That situation should be changed, and fast. Germplasm needs to be gathered up not only in Africa but also in Asia and other regions that know the crop. With this genetic variability in hand, the way should be open for

improving the compositional value of the crop for the various separate

products. Varieties could be bred, for instance, for fiber, biomass, oil, protein, mucilage (type and yield), color, and ornamental use. Breeding studies could also be expanded to include improving yields, cultivation

conditions, nutritional value, and nutraceuticals.

Okra ( akar kapasan) flowers are structured for insect-pollination (bees, wasps, flies, and

beetles, and perhaps even occasional birds), but self-pollination usually occurs and both hand-pollination and seed handling are straightforward.

Controlled breeding is thus not difficult, although success in bringing out some characteristics may require very large populations and very careful

evaluation.

Toxicity Checks Although both okra ( akar kapasan) tofu and the protein-rich residue left after oil extraction offer promising foods and feeds, there is a possible

drawback. Okra ( akar kapasan) seeds, like cottonseeds, purportedly contain gossypol or a

gossypol-like compound.13 All doubts will have to be removed before

okra ( akar kapasan)seed can be employed as a protein source. Strangely, should gossypol be

present in commercial amounts it might possibly be used for the long-sought

male contraceptive (see sidebar).

In at least some okra ( akar kapasan)seed varieties the oil contains small quantities of

cyclopropenoid fatty acids. These unstable compounds have strong

LOST CROPS OF AFRICA 298

physiological effects and in hens are believed to suppress egg laying.

However, the fact that some okra ( akar kapasan) plants had only low quantities (the overall

range was 0.26-5.59 percent) suggests that the problem might be bred out. These unusual fatty acids are easily removed by heating the oil during processing, but having none to start with would surely be better.

Basic Studies There are undoubtedly many fascinating physiologic and genetic features of the plant to investigate. Here are three that come to mind:

• Ploidy Okra ( akar kapasan) has a high number of chromosomes (2n=130) and

behaves in some instances as a diploid and in others as a tetraploid. It is

thought that one genome possibly comes from Abelmoschus tuberculatus

(2n=58). Modern techniques could likely go far in sorting out okra ( akar kapasan)’s genetic

background and chromosome make up.

• Hybridization Crossings within the species as well as possible

hybrids with okra ( akar kapasan)’s close, interesting, and useful relatives ambrette

(Abelmoschus moschatus), kenaf, and roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) could

provide fascinating plants with exceptional properties.

• Okra ( akar kapasan)’s origin Many publications still give the species’ origin as

India, but that seems more current usage than scientific assessment. The vast

occurrence of primitive types and wild relatives in Africa (especially

Ethiopia) indicates okra ( akar kapasan) is almost certainly African, but the lingering doubt

should be put to rest by groundwork and DNA testing.

Food Technology

Here, too, are possibilities for fascinating research. Examples include:

• Okra ( akar kapasan) Tea Okra ( akar kapasan)’s close cousin roselle has been making a name for

itself in recent years as a major ingredient in non-caffeinated teas (notably in

the United States, where it stars in the popular Red Zinger Tea®). Jamaicans

know this okra ( akar kapasan) relative as sorrel and consider it one of the island’s great

delicacies, turning it not only into cooling beverages but into famous tarts

and jellies as well. It is also a common tea in the Sahel, where it was

introduced to provide plant fiber and vitamin C, and has now naturalized. Okra ( akar kapasan)s with red calyxes are known and should be tested for the possibility of

producing a counterpart.

• Decaffeinated Coffee Could okra ( akar kapasan) seed be a direct route to a really

good caffeine-free beverage? That is something for which a market seems

more promising now than ever before, and the possibility deserves at least a

look-see.

• Gum-Free Okra ( akar kapasan) Needed also is a simple test for mucilage content

that would allow the germplasm to be screened. Then, pods of known

polysaccharide content could be bred. Anyone creating gum-free okra ( akar kapasan) will

have given the world a major new crop. Of course, anyone creating

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN) 299

exceptionally gum-rich okra ( akar kapasan) will also give the world a major new crop. Progress and Public Relations In spite of the fact that okra ( akar kapasan) is a

potentially very important plant, little effort is being given to its development. As noted, this is largely due to the public’s negative mindset.

To overcome popular repugnance requires more than science…it requires

publicity. Some sort of Okra ( akar kapasan) Appreciation Society would help give the vegetable a good push. It might foster newspaper and magazine coverage of

okra ( akar kapasan)’s possibilities. And it might operate such things as contests, recipes, home-economics courses, and nutritional awareness demonstrations.

Although the plant’s prospects are high, its future depends on a mental

course change to break it out of the slime still blinding everyone to the

crop’s greater potential.

SPECIES INFORMATION

Botanical Name Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

Synonym Hibiscus esculentus L.

Family Malvaceae

Common Names

Arabic: bamia, bamya, bamieh

English: okro, lady’s finger, ladies finger, gumbo

India: bhindi, bindi, dheras, bandakai, vendakai

Chinese: ka fei huang kui, huang su kui, huang qiu kui, qiu kui (medicinal name); chan qie, ch’aan k’e, Ts’au kw’ai (Cantonese)

French: gombo, bamie-okra ( akar kapasan), ketmie comestible, ambrette

German: ocker

Spanish: gombo, ají turco, quimbombo, ocra

Portuguese: gumbro, quingombo, quiabo, quillobo

Akan (Twi): nkruman, nkruma (okra ( akar kapasan))

Bantu: ki ngombo, ngumbo, gombo

Congo, Angola: quillobo, ki ngombo

Swahili: gumbo

Thai: krachiap khieo, krachiap mon, bakhua mun

Greek: bamia

Hebrew: bamiya, hibiscus ne’echal

Hungarian: gombó, bámia

Italian: gombo, ocra, bammia d’egitto, corna di greci

Japanese: okura, Amerika neri, kiku kimo Malaysia: bendi, kacang bendi, kacang lender, sayur bendi , kacang lendir , kachang bendi

Indonesia: kopi arab.

Description

Okra ( akar kapasan) is an annual herb typically reaching 2 m in height, but some African varieties may grow up to 5 m tall, with a base stem of 10 cm in

diameter.

The heart-shaped, lobed leaves have long stems and are attached to the

thick woody stem. They may reach 30 cm in length and are generally hairy.

Flowers are borne singly in the leaf axils and are usually yellow with a dark

red or purple base. Some African varieties are photoperiod sensitive and

bloom only in the late fall in temperate zones. It is largely to wholly self-

pollinated, though some out-crossing is reported and it is often visited by bees.

The pod (capsule, or fruit) is 10-25 centimeters long (shorter in the dwarf

varieties). Generally, it is ribbed or round, and varying in color from yellow

to red to green. It is pointed at the apex, hairy at the base, and tapered toward the tip. It contains numerous oval seeds that are about the size of peppercorns, white when immature and dark green to gray-black when

mature.

Distribution

The plant is immensely adaptable and is widely distributed in the tropics, subtropics, and warmer temperate zones. In essence, it grows almost everywhere anyone tries to plant it.

Within Africa Of all the native food crops, this is one of the most

widespread within the continent. It is known from Mauritania to Mauritius, with most diversity centered around Ethiopia and the Sudan.

Beyond Africa It is now grown throughout southern Europe, Australasia, tropical Asia and America, the Caribbean, and the United States, where it is best known in the southern region but is also cultivated in Oregon and

California. Turkey grows okra ( akar kapasan) on a large scale.

Horticultural Varieties

Many cultivars have been selected for local conditions but in the main

there are two types: the long and the short (quickly flowering) duration. The

cultivars vary in plant height and in shape and color of the pod. With all the

different cultivars and their variations, the particular kind of okra ( akar kapasan) planted

usually reflects what the local people prefer their dinner dishes to look like.

Although okra ( akar kapasan) prefers a long, hot growing season, cultivars have been

developed that are short in stature as well as fast maturing, and small fruited.

These dwarf, short-duration types reach a height of 60 cm and require only 7

to 9 weeks to mature.

The okra ( akar kapasan) seen in the temperate zones is fairly uniform. One survey of Copyright © National Academy of 

OKRA ( AKAR KAPASAN)

266 temperate-zone varieties found no consistent differences. But that is

misleading; this species encompasses huge genetic diversity that not even okra ( akar kapasan) specialists have ever seen—it just hasn’t been distributed in the

temperate zones.

Environmental Requirements

Okra ( akar kapasan) is a warm-season annual well-adapted to many soils and climates.

Rainfall The plant tolerates a wide variation in rainfall. Altitude Most selections are adapted to the lowland humid tropics,

ranging up to at least 1,000m.

Low Temperature Minimum soil temperature for germination is 16°C. For good growth, night temperatures should not fall below 13°C.

High Temperature An average temperature of 20-30°C is appropriate for growth, flowering, and pod development. Most cultivars are adapted to

consistently high temperatures.

Soil A range of soil types give good economic yields but (not unexpectedly) well-drained, fertile substrates with adequate organic material

and reserves of the major elements are ideal. Some cultivars are sensitive to

excessive soil moisture, so well-drained, sandy locations are preferred. Neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, pH 6.5-7.5, seem best.

Related Species

The genus Abelmoschus includes from 6 to 15 species in the Afro-Asian

tropics and North Australia. One that stands out is abelmosk or ambrette

(Abelmoschus moschatus Medik.; syn. Hibiscus abelmoschus). Indigenous to

India and cultivated (or weedy) in most warm regions of the globe, it is a low, slightly woody plant with a conical five-ridged pod containing

numerous brown kidney-shaped seeds that are smaller than okra ( akar kapasan)’s. The seeds

possess a musky odor and perfumers know them as ambrette (“abelmoschus” is from the Arabic “father of musk”, with “moschatus” also

referring to a musky smell). The plant also yields an excellent fiber and, rich

in mucilage, is employed in upper India for clarifying sugar. One variety there known as bendi-kai is eaten fresh, prepared like asparagus, or pickled.

The foliage and tubers of A.m. subsp. tuberosus have been consumed for

centuries in Australia.

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