Abelmos Cassava

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Abelmoschus manihot (Latin Abelmoschus manihot) - a herbaceous flowering plant of the Abelmoschus genus (Latin Abelmoschus) of the Malvaceae family (Latin Malvaceae). The picturesque appearance of the plant is used in ornamental gardening. The short-hairy legumes are inedible, but the young leaves of the plant are the nutritious vegetable for which people cultivate Abelmos cassava. Flower buds of Abelmos cassava are also suitable for food. In addition, the roots of the plant are widely used in papermaking in countries such as Japan and Korea. Abelmos cassava is also prized for its healing abilities used by traditional oriental medicine.

Description

The external appearance of Abelmos cassava is very similar to other species of the genus, characterized by rapid growth, bushiness of the plant and reaching heights of up to two meters in one season. The sturdy stems of the plant are covered with large, lobed leaves the size of a dinner plate. The sharp-nosed blades transform the leaves into a picturesque natural decoration. Favorable conditions for the successful growth of the plant are a sunny place and fertile moist soil, which excludes stagnant water.

The funnel-shaped flowers with gray-yellow petals and a dark pharynx resembling the pupil of the eye are also picturesque. Flowers are born in the morning, and in the evening their life ends. However, the next morning, new flowers open their corollas, and therefore the bush during the flowering period (from July to October) daily demonstrates abundant beauty. The flowers of the plant are bisexual, that is, they have both a pistil and stamens. The plant entrusted pollination of flowers to insects.

Here are just the leguminous fruits of this species, the surface of which is covered with tiny hairs that catch the morning dew, are not edible for humans, unlike the fruits of Edible Abelmos, known in different countries under different names, among which the most widely known are such as, Okra, Okra, Gombo or Ladies' fingers.

Usage

The starchy substance contained in the roots of the plant is used by the Japanese in the manufacture of paper, known worldwide under the Japanese name "washi". For the same purpose, a plant is used in Korea in the production of high-quality paper called "hanji". The paper is made from the inner bark and young shoots of the Paper Mulberry (or Broussonetia papyrifera) tree, and the starchy mucus from the roots of Abelmos cassava helps to suspend individual wood fibers.

Abelmos cassava is one of the extremely nutritious vegetables. Its young leaves are high in vitamins "C" and "A", iron, and vegetable protein. Given the ease of propagation of the plant by cuttings, the relative resistance to pests and diseases, as well as the healing abilities of Abelmos cassava, one can understand the popularity of the plant in many countries of the world, especially in the countries of Southeast Asia. The plant is often planted along the borders of gardens, or as a dividing line in many tropical traditional gardens.

Leaves are eaten raw, boiled, stewed and fried. In the same way, flower buds are used for nutrition.

Healing abilities

Traditional oriental medicine uses different parts of the plant, helping to reduce the painful course of the menstrual cycle, relieve toothache, and more successfully heal cuts and wounds on the skin.

For example, the juice of flowers is used to treat chronic bronchitis, as well as to eliminate toothache. In Nepal, heated root juice is applied to sprains.