Sarah Kendrick, age 12, of McAllen, Tex., for her question:

WHERE DOES OKRA COME FROM?

Okra is a plant that is cultivated for its immature pods, which are used as a vegetable and to flavor and thicken stews and soups. It is grown and used chiefly in the southern part of the United States.

Okra is actually a kind of hibiscus and it is closely related to cotton. It is a native of Africa. In the South, where large quantities are grown, it is also known as gumbo or okro.

The okra plant is an annual. It grows from two to eight feet high and bears rounded, fine lobe leaves and greenish yellow flowers. The pods on the plant are from four to six inches long but sometimes exceed one foot when fully grown.

Okra pods are cooked and canned when they are young and tender.

A scientific classification puts okra in the mallow family.