Abelmosk

Description

Abelmoschus moschatus (Abelmosk, ambrette, annual hibiscus, Bamia Moschata, Galu Gasturi, muskdana, musk mallow,musk okra,ornamental okra, rose mallow, tropical jewel hibiscus,Yorka okra) is an aromatic and medicinal plant in the family Malvaceae native to Asia and Australia. The seeds have a sweet, flowery, heavy fragrance similar to that of musk (hence its specific epithet moschātus, scientific Latin for ‘musk’). Despite its tropical origin, the plant is frost-hardy. Musk mallow seed oil was once frequently used as a substitute in perfumes for animal musk; however this use is now mostly replaced by various synthetic musks due to its high cost. In her 1705 book the Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, Maria Sibylla Merian described how the young indigenous women would string the seeds on threads and wear the seeds as decoration on their arms. She also indicated that the Indigenous people used the seeds to fatten up their chickens. It has many culinary uses. The seeds are added to coffee; unripe pods ("musk okra"), leaves and new shoots are eaten as vegetables. Different parts of the plant have uses in Ayurveda herbal medicine, including as an antispasmodic and to treat gonorrhea.However, use may result in phytophotodermatitis and it has not been proven safe for use during pregnancy and lactation. In industry the root mucilage provides sizing for paper; tobacco is sometimes flavoured with the flowers. 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 Arabian meaning 'father of musk' or 'source of musk' referring to the scented seeds. The genus comprises annual and perennial herbaceous 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.