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52. Okra 

 Hibiscus esculentus 



The young tender seed pods of the okra are eaten fried, stewed 

 or prepared in other ways, and are very good in soups. They 

 are seldom cultivated except in the lowlands. Okra is well 

 known in the southern United States, but is uncommon in the 

 North. This soft-stemmed garden plant is usually 3 or 4 feet 

 high and has large yellow flowers. In Mexico and Central 

 America it is called variously gumbo, gombo, chimbombo, ocra 

 and quingombo; in Cuba quimbombo; in Panama napi. 



