**Abstract**

Genus *Abelmoschus* Medik (family - Malvaceae Juss.) comprising about 11 species in India. Among which some are cultivated on an economic scale as important vegetables and the rest are wild. Apart from cultivated species, wild species of *Abelmoschus* also showed a wide range of phytochemicals and nutritional components. *Abelmoschus esculentus* (L.) Moench an economically important vegetable crop popularly known as okra which cultivated throughout the world. Nutritionally, okra plays an important role in the human diet because it has enormous value of nutritional factors like carbohydrates, protein, fibers, minerals and vitamins, including vitamin C. Mucilage obtained from *Abelmoschus* is natural and digestive in nature and used as a tablet binder. The plant shows various pharmacological activities like, antioxidants, antidiabetic, antiulcer and antimicrobial. Apart from cultivated species, the studies on wild species were carried out and concluded some important findings *viz. Abelmoschus manihot* (L.) Medik. is rich source of various secondary metabolites like; hyperin, isoquercetin, myricetin, hibifolin, adenosine and stigmasterol. *Abelmoschus ficulneus* (L.) Wight & Arn. and *A. manihot* are consumed by the local people worldwide. The present chapter is focused on the previous work done in genus *Abelmoschus* in the area of nutrition, phytochemical, genetic diversity and breeding.

**Keywords:** *Abelmoschus*, okra, phytochemical, nutritional, mucilage
