Corchorus olitorius

Corchorus olitorius (Jute, Bush Okra, Jew's Mallow) is a plant in the Tillaceae family. It is one of the ancient food crops of the Middle East.

Cultivation in Kenya
In Kenya, C. olitorius is widely distributed in seasonally flooded areas, flood plains, at edges of lakes, dams and marshes and in bushland, wooded grassland and open grassland, especially in low hot country from sea level to 1500m above sea level. It prefers alluvial soils or sandy loam.


 * "Uses: Food: Leaves widely used as a vegetable in Kenya and the rest of Africa Luhya, Luo, Giriama, Digo, Swahili, Samburu). Normally cooked with other coarse vegetables as it is slippery, e.g. with Gynandropsis gynandra, Crotalaria brevidens, and Crotalaria ochreleuca or cowpeas. When cooked with cowpeas, milk and butter, it is given to lactating mothers (Luo). Leaves are pounded in a mortar, cooked with meat and flavoured with lemon or lime juice (Swahili). It is mixed with Asystasia gangetica (tsalakakushe) or a mixture of cowpea, pumpkin, sweet potato and cocoyam leaves (Mijikenda)."

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