Jute mallow

Jute mallow
Corchorus olitorius
Tiliaceae
Common Names
Jute mallow, nalta jute (En); corète potagère, jute potager (Fr); gute malevaceo, yute
(Sp); (Cn)
Plant Distribution
South Asia, East Asia, tropical Africa, Middle East, Brazil, the Caribbean
Botanical Features
Erect annual herb, 2-4 m tall, strongly branched; stems reddish or greenish, fibrous
and tough; leaves alternate, simple; stipules narrowly triangular with long point;
petiole 0.5-7 cm long; blade narrowly ovateor elliptical, 4-15 x 2-5 cm, serrate or
crenate, shiny dark green, 3-7 veined from the base; inflorescence 1-4-flowered
axillary clustered together with bracts; flowers bisexual, regular, shortly stalked,
obovate, 5-7 mm long, yellow; fruit cylindrical, 2-5 cm long, ribbed, dehiscing by 5
valves, many-seeded; seeds angular, 1-3 mm long, dark gray; epigeal germination.
Leaves
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Environmental Factors
Light requirement: full sun; photoperiod: short-day; temperature requirement: hot;
preferred soil type: sand, loam; optimum soil pH: 4.5-8.2; tolerance: heat, high
rainfall, flooding, brief drought; sensitivity: cold.
Flower
Young fruit
105

Production Methods
System: intercropping, monocropping; planting material: seeds; planting method:
direct, transplanting; irrigation: moderate; priority fertilizer: nitrogen, organic
matter; crop management: raised bed in rain season, furrow bottom in dry season, free
st
standing; planting to 1 harvest: 30-40 days; harvesting: once-over (uproot or cut at
ground level), repeated (weekly cutting of 20-30 cm of tender stems and removal of
tip and leaves for 2-5 months); yield: 3-10 t/ha.
Field production and harvesting
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Edible Parts
Leaves and tender stems are eaten boiled, stew, stir-fried, or in soup. Sticky leaf mass
is used as vegetarian spread.
Health Values
Beta-carotene: extremely high; vitamin E: medium; riboflavin: high; folic acid:
extremely high; ascorbic acid: extremely high; calcium: medium to high; iron: high to
extremely high; protein: 4.5%. Leaves contain mucilage and several phenolic
compounds.
Seeds
Bundled shoots in the market
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