ABELMOSCHUS MANIHOT

This member of the Malvaceae family was given this name by Friedrich Kasimir Medikus in 1787. It is found in China, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, New Guinea and Northern Australia, growing in a well drained but rich soil with quite some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to three centimetres in diameter, the entire plant from two to five metres in height. The flowers are pale yellow with a maroon centre.

The genera name after Persian abu'l-mishk; 'father to musk', probably due to the smell of the seeds. The species name manihot refers to the genus Manihot; a member of the Euphorbiaceae family.