Okra; Gumbo

Abelmoschus esculentus

Frequently cultivated in gardens, rarely persistent or self-seeding the year following. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Mississippi. How scores work Is it native here?

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At a glance

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Light · Soil · Life cycle · Leaves · Bloom

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 1 Mississippi county.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

13CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Abelmoschus

Anisota senatoriaOrange-Tipped Oakworm Moth, Orangestriped Oakworm
Anomis erosaYellow Scallop Moth, Mallow Caterpillar
Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
Chloridea virescensTobacco Budworm Moth
Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm

Show all 13

Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Tarache delectaDelightful Bird-Dropping Moth
Chionodes hibiscella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

—Specialist beesPollen specialists

—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Malvaceae

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Conservation status

Mississippi rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
MS status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources