Description: An annual or short-lived perennial herb with upright stems, lobed leaves and large yellow flowers with dark centres.

Identification: Rough lobed leaves; yellow hibiscus-like flowers; elongated ridged green pods.

Habitat & distribution: Widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions.

Uses / importance: Immature pods are an important vegetable. The plant also has nutritional and agricultural importance.

Taxonomy:
Kingdom – Plantae
Clade – Angiosperms
Clade – Eudicots
Order – Malvales
Family – Malvaceae
Genus – Abelmoschus
Species – A. esculentus

Sources: Kew POWO; agricultural literature.