Home | > | List of families | > | Malvaceae subfamily Malvoideae | > | Abelmoschus | > | esculentus |
Synonyms: |
Hibiscus esculentus L. |
Common names: | |
Frequency: | |
Status: | Introduced |
Description: |
Annual herb, up to 2 m, widely cultivated for its edible fruit. Leaves up to 25 cm, almost round in outline, deeply, palmately lobed, more or less densely hairy on both surfaces, particularly on the veins; margin serrate. Flowers in terminal clusters or solitary in the leaf axils, up to 8 cm in diameter, yellow with a purple centre. Epicalyx with 10-12 bracts, narrowly linear triangular, up to 25 mm. Fruit a capsule, more or less narrowly ellipsoid, up to 14 cm. |
Type location: |
India |
Notes: | |
Derivation of specific name: | esculentus: edible |
Habitat: | Disturbed places, such as areas formerly cultivated |
Altitude range: | |
Flowering time: | |
Worldwide distribution: | Native of Tropical Asia, now widely cultivated throughout the tropics. |
Zambian distribution (Flora Zambesiaca): | E,S |
Zambian distribution (Provinces): | E,Lk,S |
Growth form(s): | Annual. |
Endemic status: | |
Red data list status: | |
Insects associated with this species: | |
Spot characters: | Display spot characters for this species |
Literature: |
Exell, A.W. (1961). Malvaceae Flora Zambesiaca 1(2) Pages 423 - 426. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 60. |
Home | > | List of families | > | Malvaceae subfamily Malvoideae | > | Abelmoschus | > | esculentus |