Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Large
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Tropical savanna
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Spines
Status: Uncommon

About

Okra is a flowering crop plant prized for its edible seed pods, which ooze a thick mucilage that naturally thickens soups and stews — the secret behind a proper gumbo. It produces large, showy yellow flowers with a deep maroon centre, a telltale sign of its kinship with hibiscus and hollyhock.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Genus: Abelmoschus
Species: Abelmoschus esculentus