Okra Okra was introduced to the North American continent by African slaves. Okra grows wild in the upper watershed of the Nile, and domestication of the plant began in the Nile basin in Egypt, where Egyptians have cultivated it for centuries. It spread through North Africa and on to the Mediterranean and India, and first appeared in the New World in Brazil and Dutch Guiana. The okra plant is an annual, requiring warm growing conditions. Dwarf varieties will grow to about three feet tall, while standard cultivars get up to eight feet.
Leaves are cordate in shape, and lobed or divided.
The fruit is a long pod, usually ribbed, spineless in cultivated kinds, and harvested when three - four inches long. Pods are harvested while still tender and immature. The first pods are ready for harvest about two months after planting, but the plants will continue to bloom and produce pods if the they are harvested continuously before they get too large. Most pods are ready for harvesting from four to six days after the bloom opens. Many people are sensitive to the small spines on okra and can get a rash or itch when picking the pods, so harvesters should wear gloves, long-sleeved shirts, and long pants for protection.