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Hyacinth Bean

Lablab

Hyacinth Bean
Photo: AnonymousUnknown author, CC BY 4.0

Lablab is a genus of tropical bean vines in the pea and bean family, with Lablab purpureus (hyacinth bean) the species most often grown. Its vigorous, climbing growth and purple flowers and pods make it popular as a food crop, forage, and ornamental, but the raw seeds and pods contain cyanogenic compounds, so they must be thoroughly cooked.

Family
Fabaceae (Pea & bean family)
Light
Full sun
Water
Water regularly during dry spells, especially while flowering and podding, and avoid waterlogging.
Soil
Well-drained, moderately fertile soil; tolerates poor soil.
Temperature
18–30 °C; protect below 10 °C
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: Raw or undercooked seeds, pods and beans contain cyanogenic glycosides that release hydrogen cyanide, causing weakness, vomiting, breathlessness and convulsions.
Edible
Yes, some parts

About

Lablab purpureus is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food. English language common names include hyacinth bean, lablab-bean bonavist bean/pea, dolichos bean, seim or sem bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, bataw and Australian pea. Lablab is a monotypic genus.

Uses

The hyacinth bean is an old domesticated pulse and multi-purpose crop. L. purpureus has been cultivated in India as early as 2500 BC.

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lablab by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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