Trees & Plants

Wild jute

Kudakudhinge

Corchorus aestuans L.

Common in open areas The stem yields a bast fibre, which can be made into thread and string, but the product is coarser and less durable than that made from Corchorus capsularis L. (white jute). The leaves are widely eaten as a vegetable. In north-eastern India, the root is cooke

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uses: The stem yields a bast fibre, which can be made into thread and string, but the product is coarser and less durable than that made from Corchorus capsularis L. (white jute). The leaves are widely eaten as a vegetable. In north-eastern India, the root is cooked as a vegetable. The foliage is browsed by all livestock. In traditional African medicine, an extract of the roots or leaves is used for the treatment of gonorrhea, and an extract of the whole plant, including the roots, is used for making injections for the treatment of urethral discharges. In India, the seeds are used for the treatment of stomach-ache and pneumonia. ×
family: Tiliaceae
synonym: Corchorus acutangulus Lam., Corchorus aesticans Hill
description: Spreading annual herbs; stems as × pilose, often reddish. Leaves 2.5-7 1.5-3.5 cm, ovate to elliptic-lanceolate, base rounded, is margins serrate, the basal pair of serrations ending in setae or not, apex acute, basally 3-5-nerved; petioles to 3 cm long; stipules 4-8 mm long, setaceous. Flowers 2-3 in leaf- opposed, shortly pedunculate cymes; pedicels ca. 2 mm long. Sepals 5, 3-4 mm long, linear- oblong, hooded and apiculate. Petals 5, yellow, of 3-5 mm long, obovate, obtuse. Stamens many. Ovary ca. 2 mm long, cylindric, 3-loculed; × style 3-fid; stigma 2-lobed. Capsules 1-3 0.4-0.6 cm, 6-angled, 3 of the angles winged, 3-loculed; seeds numerous, dark brown.
distribution: Widely cultivated in Africa and Asia
english names: Wild jute · West African mallow · East-Indian mallow
flowering fruiting: August - February Native region: Probably Pantropical
occurrence maldives: Common in open areas