Abelmoschus is a genus of about fifteen species of
flowering plants in the
mallow family (
Malvaceae), native to tropical
Africa,
Asia and northern
Australia. It was formerly included within Hibiscus, but is now classified as a distinct genus. The genus name derives from Arabic meaning 'father of musk' or 'source of musk' referring to the scented seeds.[2][3]
The genus comprises
annual and
perennialherbaceous plants, growing to 2 m tall. The
leaves are 10–40 cm long and broad, palmately lobed with 3-7 lobes, the lobes are very variable in depth, from barely lobed, to cut almost to the base of the leaf. The
flowers are 4–8 cm diameter, with five white to yellow petals, often with a red or purple spot at the base of each petal. The
fruit is a capsule, 5–20 cm long, containing numerous
seeds.
Abelmoschus species are used as food plants by the
larvae of some
Lepidoptera species including Chionodes hibiscella which has been recorded on A. moschatus.
Several species are edible, with both the young seed pods and the young leaves being eaten as a
vegetable. The most important commercially-grown species is
okra.