''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.

Characteristics

The seeds have a sweet, flowery, heavy fragrance similar to that of musk (hence its

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

, scientific Latin for ‘musk’). Despite its tropical origin, the plant is frost-

hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

Uses of the plant

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 musk Synthetic musks are a class of synthetic aroma compounds to emulate the scent of deer musk and other animal musks (castoreum and civet). Synthetic musks have a clean, smooth and sweet scent lacking the fecal notes of animal musks. They are used as ...

s 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.

Culinary uses

It has many culinary uses. The seeds are added to coffee; unripe pods ("musk okra"), leaves and new shoots are eaten as vegetables.

Medicinal uses

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.

Other uses

In industry the root mucilage provides

sizing Sizing or size is a substance that is applied to, or incorporated into, other materials—especially papers and textiles—to act as a protective filler or glaze. Sizing is used in papermaking and textile manufacturing to change the absorption ...

for paper; tobacco is sometimes

flavour Flavor or flavour is either the sensory perception of taste or smell, or a flavoring in food that produces such perception. Flavor or flavour may also refer to: Science *Flavors (programming language), an early object-oriented extension to Lisp ...

ed with the flowers.

References

External links

''Abelmoschus moschatus''''Abelmoschus moschatus''Abelmoschus moschatus
Medicinal Plant Images Database (School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University)
Celtnet Spice Guide entry for Musk Mallow seeds, including recipes
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2086536 moschatus Flora of China Flora of Taiwan Flora of tropical Asia Flora of Australia Plants used in Ayurveda