Corchorus, genus of some 40–100 species of flowering plants of the hibiscus, or mallow, family (Malvaceae). The bark of C. capsularis and to a lesser extent that of C. olitorius constitute the chief source of the fibre jute, and these species are much cultivated in India and Bangladesh. The leaves and young shoots are eaten as a vegetable in Europe and as a potherb in West Africa. The seeds, however, are poisonous.