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Abelmosk (Abelmoschus moschatus)

Dlium Abelmosk (Abelmoschus moschatus)

Abelmosk (Abelmoschus moschatus) is a species of plant in the Malvaceae family. It is an annual shrub, growing up to 3.5 meters tall. Its stems are woody, cylindrical, erect, monopodial, and branched, green or brownish-green in color and have white hairs.

A. moschatus has single leaves with petioles up to 20 cm long and white hairs. The leaves are 5-20 cm wide, 3-7 lobed, heart-shaped at the base, pointed at the apex, serrated or smooth edges, and rough on the surface with white hairs.







The flowers are single, bell-shaped, up to 10 cm wide. The stamens are tubular and yellow, while the anthers are loose and black. The corolla is divided into five yellow petals.

The fruit is oval, green, five-cornered, with a pointed tip, and has white hairs that ripen to a blackish-brown color. The seeds are kidney-shaped, flat, grooved, hard, and blackish-brown. The root is single, round, branched, and yellowish-white.

Abelmosk grows wild in open spaces, vacant lots, abandoned land, or scattered in gardens and roadsides at elevations up to 650 meters. The seeds, leaves, and roots contain saponins and flavonoids. The leaves and seeds also contain tannins.

The seeds produce musk oil, which is used in cosmetics, liniments, and itching powders. The plant is also used as an antipyretic, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, and to draw out pus.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malvales
Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Hibisceae
Genus: Abelmoschus Medik. in Malvenfam.: 45 (1787)
Species: Abelmoschus moschatus Medik. in Malvenfam.: 46 (1787)
Subspecies: Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. moschatus, Abelmoschus moschatus ssp. tuberosus

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Abelmoschus abelmoschus (L.) H.Karst. in Deut. Fl., ed. 2, 2: 157 (1895)
Abelmoschus officinalis Endl. in Cat. Hort. Vindob. 2: 353 (1842)
Hibiscus abelmoschus L. in Sp. Pl.: 696 (1753)
Hibiscus abelmoschus var. genuinus Hochr. in Annuaire Conserv. Jard. Bot. Genève 4: 151 (1900)
Hibiscus moschatus (Medik.) Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 384 (1796)

PUBLICATIONS

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M.T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany 98: 1-1192.

Akoègninou, A., van der Burg, W.J. & van der Maesen, L.J.G. (eds.) (2006). Flore Analytique du Bénin: 1-1034. Backhuys Publishers.

Barooah, C. & Ahmed, I. (2014). Plant diversity of Assam. A checklist of Angiosperms and Gymnosperms: 1-599. Assam science technology and environment council, India.

Brako, L. & Zarucchi, J.L. (1993). Catalogue of the Flowering Plants and Gymnosperms of Peru. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 45: i-xl, 1-1286. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Chayamarit, K. & Balslev, H. (eds.) (2019). Flora of Thailand 14(2): 185-358. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.

Dash, S.S. & al. (eds.) (2025). Flora of Gujarat 1: 1-696. Botanical Survey of India.

Dy Phon, P. (2000). Dictionnaire des plantes utilisées au Cambodge: 1-915. Chez l'auteur, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola. Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

Figueiredo, E., Paiva, J., Stévart, T., Oliveira, F. & Smith, G.F. (2011). Annotated catalogue of the flowering plants of São Tomé and Príncipe. Bothalia, A Journal of Botanical Research 41: 41-82.

Florence, J. (2004). Flore de la Polynésie Française 2: 1-503. IRD editions, Paris.

Garcia-Mendoza, A.J. & Meave, J.A. (eds.) (2012). Diversidad florística de Oaxaca: de musgos a angiospermas (colecciones y listas de especies), ed. 2: 1-351. Instituto de Biología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.

Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].

Govaerts, R. (1995). World Checklist of Seed Plants 1(1, 2): 1-483, 529. MIM, Deurne.

Hammel, B.E. & al. (eds.) (2007). Manual de Plantas de Costa Rica, volumen VI, Dicotyledóneas (Haloragaceae-Phytolaccaceae). Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 111: 1-933. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Hancock, I.R. & Henderson, C.P. (1988). Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin Dodo Creek Research Station 7: 1-203.

Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.

Imada, C.T., Faccenda, K., Thomas, M.K., Gallaher, T., Oppenheimer, H., Kennedy, B., & Arthur, K. (eds.) (2025). Hawaiian Native & Naturalized Vascular Plants Checklist (2025 Update). Bishop Museum technical report 75: 1-480.

Iwatsuki, K., Boufford, D.E. & Ohba, H. (eds.) (1999). Flora of Japan IIc: 1-328. Kodansha Ltd., Tokyo.

Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánez, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador. Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 75: i-viii, 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden.

Kotiya, A., Solanki, Y. & Reddy, G.V. (2020). Flora of Rajasthan: 1-769. Rajasthan state biodiversity board.

Kumar, S. (2012). Herbaceous flora of Jaunsar-Bawar (Uttarkhand), India: enumerations. Phytotaxonomy 12: 33-56.

Lejoly, J. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Flore de la Tshopo (RD Congo): Familles des Malvaceae, Orchidaceae, Sterculiaceae, Tiliaceae. Taxonomania 29: 1-41.

Lejoy, J., Ndjele, M.-B. & Geerinck, D. (2010). Catalogue-flore des plantes vasculaires des districts de Kisangani et de la Tshopo (RD Congo). Taxonomania 30: 1-307.

Lê, T.C. (2003). Danh lục các loài thực vật Việt Nam 2: 1-1203. Hà Nội : Nhà xuất bản Nông nghiệp.

López Patiño, E.J., Szeszko, D.R., Rascala Pérez, J. & Beltrán Retis, A.S. (2012). The flora of the Tenacingo-Malinalco-Zumpahuacán protected natural area, state of Mexico, Mexico. Harvard Papers in Botany 17: 65-167.

MacKee, H.S. (1994). Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie, ed. 2: 1-164. Museum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris.

Mao, A.A. & Dash, S.S. (2020). Flowering Plants of India an Annotated Checklist (Dicotyledons) 1: 1-970. Botanical Survey of India.

Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Newman, M., Ketphanh, S., Svengsuksa, B., Thomas, P., Sengdala, K., Lamxay, V. & Armstrong, K. (2007). A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR: 1-394. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh.

Onana, J.M. (2011). The vascular plants of Cameroon a taxonomic checklist with IUCN assessments: 1-195. National herbarium of Cameroon, Yaoundé.

Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.

Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.

Robyns, W. & al. (eds.) (1948-1963). Flore du Congo Belge et du Ruanda-Urundi 1-10.

Sikarwar, R.L.S. (2014). Angiosperm diversity assessment of Chitrakootthe legendary place of Vindhyan range, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 38: 563-619.

Thiombiano, A., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Ouédraogo, A., Hahn, K. & Zizka, G. (2012). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso. Boissiera 65: 1-391.

Turner, I.M. (1995). A catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Malaya. Gardens' Bulletin Singapore 47(1): 1-346.

Verdcourt, B. & Mwachala, G.M. (2009). Flora of Tropical East Africa, Malvaceae: 1-170.

Wagner, W.L., Herbst, D.R. & Sohmer, S.H. (1999). Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawai'i, rev. ed., 1: 1-988. University of Hawai'i Press, Bishop Museum Press.

Wu, Z., Raven, P.H. & Hong, D. (eds.) (2007). Flora of China 12: 1-534. Science Press (Beijing) & Missouri Botanical Garden Press (St. Louis).

Xuyên, Đ.T. (2017). Thực Vật Chí Việt Nam. Flora of Vietnam 14: 1-314. Nhà xuất bản khoa học và kỹ thuật, Hà Nội.

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: حب المسك
Assamese: Gorokhiakarai
Bengali: কালকাস্তুরী - লতাকাস্তুরী - মুশকদান Kālakāsturī, Latākāsturī, Muśakadāna
Burmese: မော့စ်ပင်
Cebuano: Kamang
Chinese (simplified): 黄葵
Chinese (traditional): 黃葵 - 香葵
Czech: Ibiškovec pižmový
Dutch: Muskuszaad, Abelmos
English: Abelmosk, Musk Mallow, Musk Okra, Ornamental Okra, Yorka Okra, Rose Mallow, Tropical Jewel Hibiscus, Annual Hibiscus
Filipino: Dalupang, Kastuli, Kastiokastiokan
French: Ambrette, Gumbo musqué
German: Bisamstrauch
Hindi: जंगली भिंडी - लता कस्तूरी - कस्तूरी-दाना - मस्क धाना - मुश्कदाना Jangli bhindi, Lataakasthuree, Kastooree-daana, Mask dhaana, Mushkadaana
Indonesian: Kapasan
Italy: Ambretta
Japanese: リュウキュウトロロアオイ
Java: Kaworo, Kapasan, Regulo, Rewulow, Waron, Buka
Kannada: Kasthuri bende. Kasturi bende, Kaadu kastoori, Sataa kasturi
Khmer: រុក្ខជាតិម៉ូស
Lao: ຕົ້ນມອສກ໌
Madura: Kastore bukal
Malayalam: Kasturi-venta-vitta, Kattu-kasturi
Malaysia: Kapas hantu, Kapas hutan
Maluku: Kasturi
Manipuri: Bawrthsaisbe suak, Uichhuhlo
Marathi: Kasthooribhendi, Kasturi-bhendi, Muskadaana
Minang: Gandapura, Kapas sedaki
Nepali: लताकास्थुरी Latākāsthurī
Oria: Banobhindi
Pashto: مشکدانا Mashakdana
Russian: Абельмош мускусный
Sanskrit: Latakasturika
Sinhala: කට්ටු කස්තුරි - වෙට්රිලයි කස්තුරි Kaṭṭu kasturi, Veṭrilayi kasturi
Slovak: Ibištek pižmový
Spanish: Borraja asiática, Ambarina
Sunda: Kakapasan
Tamil: கட்டு கஸ்தூரி - வெற்றிலை கஸ்தூரி Kaṭṭu kastūri, Veṟṟilai kastūri
Tangkhul: Tawonrong
Telugu: Kasturi-benda-vittulu, Karpoorabenda, Kattukasthusri, Kasthurivenda, Lathakasthuri
Thai: ชะมดต้น
Urdu: مشک دانہ Mashak dana
Vietnam: Cây rêu

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