Botanical Name of Lady’s Finger

The Botanical name of Lady’s Finger is Abelmoschus esculentus. It is a native flowering plant of East Africa and belongs to the mallow family. The fruit is popularly known as okra or orcho and is mistakenly considered a vegetable. There are so many regional names like “Bhindi”, “Dhenras”, etc. but the origin of the Lady’s Finger is disputed. People say that Lady’s Finger originated from either the Abyssinian center or Ethiopia or the higher part of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan.

What is the Botanical Name of Lady’s Finger?

The scientific name of Lady’s Finger is Abelmoschus esculentus. The genus of the plant is Abelmoschus, and the family is Malvaceae.

• The plant has variable lengths, ranging from 0.5 to 0.4 meters with 10 to 20 cm long leaves.
• The leaves contain 5 to 7 palmately lobes.
• Lady’s Finger plants belong to the Malvaceae family which relates the plant to cocoa, cotton, and hibiscus, etc.
• Ladys Finger plants are characterized by their intermediate growth. Its stems are hairy, robust with variable branching.
• Flowers of this plant are whitish-yellow colored with red or purple spots with a diameter of 4 to 8 cm.
• They contain spherical pollen with an approx. 188 microns.
• The pods can grow up to 18 cm and contain white seeds.
• Lady’s Finger plants are the explosive spreaders. In the mature stage, the pods explode on their own.
• The seeds spread several feet away from the plant which gives birth to a new plant.

Biological Classification of Lady’s Finger

Now let us discuss the biological classification of Lady’s Finger. Here in this table below, we have mentioned the division, class, order, family, genus and various clades of Lady’s Finger.

Biological Classification of Lady’s Finger
Botanical Name	Abelmoschus esculentus
Division	Angiospermae
Class	Eudicots
Order	Malvales
Family	Malvaceae
Genus	Abelmoschus
Clade	Tracheophytes, Angiosperms, Eudicots and Rosids

Cultivation of Lady’s Finger

Lady’s Finger is a tropical crop that can be cultivated in warm regions. These plants are highly heat and drought-resistant. The only drawback is frost can damage this plant. Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Orissa are the major producer of Lady’s Finger in India. Four major conditions need to be followed in the time of Lady’s Finger cultivation.

Nutritional Contents and Health Benefits of Lady’s Finger

Lady’s Fingers are a good source of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, enzymes, calcium, and potassium. It contains low calories with high fiber which helps to reduce weight. Besides pods, the leaves, buds, and flowers are also edible in this plant. During pregnancy, Lady’s Fingers helps to regulate the bowel movements and prevents constipation. Per 100 grams of edible portion contains so many nutritional contents as mentioned below:

Nutritional Contents of Lady’s Finger – Per 100 Grams of Edible Portion
Calories	35.0 Grams
Water	89.6 Grams
Carbohydrates	6.4 Grams
Protein	1.9 Grams
Fibre	1.2 Grams
Minerals	0.7 Grams
Fat	0.2 Grams
Potassium	103 Milligram
Calcium	66 Milligram
Phosphorous	56 Milligram
Magnesium	53 Milligram
Vitamin C	13.10 Milligram
Vitamin A	375 IU
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)	0.2 Milligram
Vitamin B9 (Folate)	88 µg
Zinc	0.6 Milligram

Uses of Lady’s Finger

Lady’s Finger is an all in one fruit with various uses. Here are some common uses mentioned below:

• Lady’s Finger pods can be eaten raw as salad or in the form of pickles.
• Pods’ large amount of mucilage is used to cook thick soups and broths.
• The pods can be cooked with acidic ingredients such as tomato or lemons to produce gumbo. It is a well-known food in the southern USA.
• Lady’s Finger leaves are also used as salad.
• Pod seeds can be used as a caffeine-free coffee substitute after a good roast.
• Pod seeds are a good source of oil which is greenish-yellow in colour.
• In many tribal cultures, the leaves and baby pods are used as painkillers.

FAQs – Botanical Name of Lady’s Finger

1. What is the Botanical Name of Okra?

The Botanical Name of okra is Abelmoschus esculentus. The genus of the plant is Abelmoschus and the family is Malvaceae.

2. What is Another Name for Lady’s Finger?

Another Names of Lady’s Finger are gombo, gumbo, quingombo, bamia, bamie, quiabo, quibombo, gombo, bamia, bamya, bamies.

3. What is the Name of Bhindi?

There are so many names include Dhenras (bengali), Vendai (Tamil), bhindo (Gujarati), Bendekayi (Kannada), Ventaykka (Malayalam), Asra-pattraka (Sanskrit).

4. Is Lady’s Finger a Pant or Tree?

Lady’s Finger is a velvety green fruit and not a vegetable.

5. Why is it called Lady’s Finger?

For their finger-like shape, it is known as Lady’s Finger.

6. What is the family of Lady’s Finger?

Lady’s Finger belongs to the Mallows family. It is a native flowering plant of East Africa.