Corchorus is a genus of about 40–100 species of in the family Malvaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world.
Different common names are used in different contexts, with jute applying to the fiber produced from the plant, and jute mallow leaves for the leaves used as a vegetable.
Description
The plants are tall, usually annual
, reaching a height of 2–4 m, unbranched or with only a few side branches. The
leaf are alternate, simple,
lanceolate, 5–15 cm long, with an acuminate tip and a finely serrated or lobed margin. The
are small (2–3 cm diameter) and yellow, with five petals; the
fruit is a many-seeded capsule.
Taxonomy
The genus
Corchorus is classified under the
subfamily Grewioideae of the family
Malvaceae. It contains around 40 to 100 species.
The genus Oceanopapaver, previously of uncertain placement, has recently been synonymized under Corchorus. The name was established by André Guillaumin in 1932 for the single species Oceanopapaver neocaledonicum Guillaumin from New Caledonia. The genus has been classified into a number of different families, including Capparaceae, Cistaceae, Papaveraceae, and Tiliaceae. The putative family name "Oceanopapaveraceae" has occasionally appeared in print and on the web but is a nomen nudum and has never been validly published nor recognised by any system of plant taxonomy.[B. A. Whitlock, K. G. Karol, and W. S. Alverson. 2003. Chloroplast DNA Sequences Confirm the Placement of the Enigmatic Oceanopapaver within Corchorus (Grewioideae: Malvaceae s.l., Formerly Tiliaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences 164: 35–41]
The genus Corchorus was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his great work Species Plantarum (1753). It is derived from the Ancient Greek word κόρχορος or κόρκορος (korkhoros or korkoros), which referred to a wild plant of uncertain identity, possibly jute or wild asparagus.
Species
Species in the genus include:
-
Corchorus aestuans Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus africanus Bari
-
Corchorus angolensis Exell & Mendonça
-
Corchorus aquaticus Rusby
-
Corchorus argillicola Moeaha & P.J.D.Winter
-
Corchorus asplenifmô0olius Burch.
-
Corchorus aulacocarpus Halford
-
Corchorus baldaccii Mattei
-
Corchorus brevicornutus Vollesen
-
Corchorus capsularis Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus carnarvonensis Halford
-
Corchorus chrozophorifolius (Baill.) Max Burret
-
Corchorus cinerascens Deflers
-
Corchorus confusus Hiram Wild
-
Corchorus congener Halford
-
Corchorus cunninghamii F.Muell.
-
Corchorus deccanensis H.B.Singh & M.V.Viswan.
-
Corchorus depressus (Carl Linnaeus) Peterm.
-
Corchorus elachocarpus F.Muell.
-
Corchorus elderi F.Muell.
-
Corchorus erodioides Balf.f.
-
Corchorus fascicularis Lam.
-
Corchorus foliosus Spreng.
-
Corchorus gillettii Bari
-
Corchorus hamatus Baker
-
Corchorus hirsutus Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus hirtus Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus hygrophilus A.Cunn. ex George Bentham
-
Corchorus incanus Halford
-
Corchorus junodii (Hans Schinz) N.E.Br.
-
Corchorus kirkii N.E.Br.
-
Corchorus laniflorus Rye
-
Corchorus lasiocarpus Halford
-
Corchorus leptocarpus A.Cunn. ex George Bentham
-
Corchorus longipedunculatus Mast.
-
Corchorus macropetalus (F.Muell.) Karel Domin
-
Corchorus macropterus G.J.Leach & Martin Cheek
-
Corchorus merxmuelleri Hiram Wild
-
Corchorus mitchellensis Halford
-
Corchorus neocaledonicus Schltr.
-
Corchorus obclavatus Halford
-
Corchorus olitorius Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus orinocensis Kunth
-
Corchorus parviflorus (George Bentham) Karel Domin
-
Corchorus parvifolius Sebsebe Demissew
-
Corchorus pascuorum Karel Domin
-
Corchorus pinnatipartitus Hiram Wild
-
Corchorus psammophilus Leslie Codd
-
Corchorus pseudo-olitorius Islam & Zaid
-
Corchorus pseudocapsularis Schweinf.
-
Corchorus puberulus Halford
-
Corchorus pumilio R.Br. ex George Bentham
-
Corchorus reynoldsiae Halford
-
Corchorus saxatilis Hiram Wild
-
Corchorus schimperi Georg Cufodontis
-
Corchorus sericeus Ewart & O.B.Davies
-
Corchorus siamensis Craib
-
Corchorus sidoides F.Muell.
-
Corchorus siliquosus Carl Linnaeus
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Corchorus subargentus Halford
-
Corchorus sublatus Halford
-
Corchorus sulcatus I.Verd.
-
Corchorus tectus Halford
-
Corchorus thozetii Halford
-
Corchorus tiniannensis Hosok.
-
Corchorus tirunelveliensis Kalaiselvan, Selvak. & Rajakumar
-
Corchorus tomentellus F.Muell.
-
Corchorus torresianus Gaudich.
-
Corchorus tridens Carl Linnaeus
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Corchorus trilocularis Carl Linnaeus
-
Corchorus urticifolius Robert Wight & Arn.
-
Corchorus velutinus Hiram Wild
-
Corchorus walcottii F.Muell.
Uses
Fiber
The
from
Corchorus (known as
jute)
are the most widely cultivated
vegetable fiber after
cotton.
Food
Corchorus leaves are consumed in the cuisines of various countries.
Corchorus olitorius is used mainly in the cuisines of southern
Asia, the
Middle East,
North Africa and
West Africa,
Corchorus capsularis in
Japan and
China. It has a
mucilage (somewhat "slimy") texture, similar to
okra, when cooked. The
seeds are used as a flavouring, and a
herbal tea is made from the dried leaves. The leaves of
Corchorus are rich in
betacarotene,
iron,
calcium, and
vitamin C. The plant has an
antioxidant activity with a significant α-
tocopherol equivalent
vitamin E.
In North Africa and the Middle East, the young leaves of Corchorus species are known in Arabic language as malukhiyah and are used as green . Malukhiyah is eaten widely in Egypt and some consider it the Egyptian cuisine. It is featured in cuisines from Lebanese cuisine, Palestine, Syrian cuisine, Jordan and Tunisian cuisine. In Turkey and Cyprus, the plant is known as molohiya or molocha and is usually cooked into a kind of chicken stew.
In Nigerian cuisine, it is used in a stew known as ewedu, a condiment to other starch-based foods such as amala or added with gbegiri a local Nigerian soup. In Northern Nigeria it is known as Ayoyo. They use it to cook a sauce called ( Miyan Ayoyo) which is commonly served with Tuwon Masara or Tuwon Allebo.
In Ghana, it is mostly eaten by the people in the North and it is called ayoyo. It is mostly eaten with Tuo Zaafi (food prepared with cornflour).
In Sierra Leone it is known as krain krain (or crain crain) and is cooked as stew. The stew is usually eaten with rice or foofoo (a traditional food made from cassava).
Jute leaves are also consumed among the Luhya people of Western Kenya, where it is commonly known as mrenda or murere. It is eaten with starchy foods like ugali, a staple for most communities in Kenya.
In India, it is locally known as nalta sag. It is a favorite food during the summer months, especially in Sambalpur and the western part of Odisha. Usually it is lightly sauteed and eaten along with rice or rice gruel.
In the Philippines, C. olitorius is known as saluyot. It is commonly consumed as a leafy vegetable together with .
In Thai cuisine, the leaves of the Corchorus olitorius (locally known as bai po; ) are eaten blanched, together with plain rice congee. The taste resembles that of spinach and Salicornia.
See also
External links
