Okra (redirected from Bamya)

okra: see mallow.

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okra

Okra (Hibiscus esculentus, or Abelmoschus esculentus).

(credit: Derek Fell)

Herbaceous, hairy, annual plant (Hibiscus esculentus or Abelmoschus esculentus), of the mallow family, grown for its edible fruit. Okra leaves are deeply notched; flowers are yellow with a crimson centre. The fruit, or pod, is a tapering, 10-angled capsule 4–10 in. (10–25 cm) long. Only the tender, unripe fruit is eaten; it is prepared in a number of ways and is a defining ingredient of the gumbos of the southern U.S. Because of its large amount of mucilage (a gelatinous substance), okra is used to thicken broths. In some countries the seeds are used as a substitute for coffee.

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okra

1. an annual malvaceous plant, Hibiscus esculentus, of the Old World tropics, with yellow-and-red flowers and edible oblong sticky green pods

2. the pod of this plant, eaten in soups, stews, etc.

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okra [′ō·krə]

(botany)

Hibiscus esculentus. A tall annual plant grown for its edible immature pods. Also known as gumbo.

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Okra 

(Hibiscus esculentus), an annual plant of the mallow family. Height to 1.5 m; it is similar to the cotton plant in its outward appearance and flowers. It is native to East Africa. The unripe, podlike fruits are used for food as vegetables, rough fibers are extracted from the stalks, and a coffee substitute is prepared from the seeds. It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical countries, North America, and southern Europe. In the USSR it is grown in the Transcaucasian region.

REFERENCE

Berliand, S. S. “K agrobiologicheskomu izucheniiu bamii.” In Lubianye kul’tury. Moscow, 1950.