What is Abelmoschus?
Abelmoschus is a genus of flowering plants in the family Mallow, Malvaceae, which also includes cotton, cocoa and durian fruit. Abelmoschus has about 15 species, originally from tropical Africa, Asia and North Australia. Many plants products are of economic agricultural importance, especially vegetable edges and fiber used to produce paper in Korea and Japan. Their flowers are five -etalized and either white or yellow, sometimes purple or red on the base. The caterpillar is prey for many kinds.
October, also called Lady's Fingers or Gumbo, is the fruit Abelmoschus esculentus . It is a green, furry capsule up to 7 inches (18 cm), filled with numerous round seeds. Both "octures" and "gumbo" are words derived from west African names for the plant. It is assumed that the plant was introduced to the New World during the first years of the Atlantic Word. Abelmoschus Caillei , commonly called West African Octures, is a similar plant used as a food source.
October is a traditional food in Africa, Mediterranean and South Asia, as well as in the New World areas, such as Brazil, Caribbean and the Southern United States. In some cultures, leaves are also consumed by fruit. Edible oil can also be made from the seeds. The edges may be slimy during cooking, but this quality can be minimized by cooking by sour ingredients, rapidly frying the whole pod or slicing and cooking for a long time, as in Louisiana steamed rubber.
Abelmoschus manihot , commonly called Aibika, is used to make starch important in the production of traditional Japanese and Korean paper. In Japan, it is used to produce Washi , which has a large range of traditional Japanese uses, including art forms such as origami, traditional clothing, toys and furniture. A similar Korean Hanji is also used in traditional art and crafts.
Abelmoschus moschatus , commonly called Musk Mallow, Musk Okra and Rose Mallow, except many other names, is originally from India, where it has traditional applications in kitchen and medicine. Musk Mallow is very fragrant, with a scent similar to animal musk. The plant oil was once used as a replacement for musk, but this practice was interrupted because the oil can cause the skin to become sensitive to light. The bridges and the leaves of musk slubing are also consumed, similar to other types of abelmoschus , and the seeds are used to flavor coffee, tobacco and liqueurs. Musk Mallow is also traditionally used as a remedy for the treatment of digestive and circulatory disorders, as well as joint pain.