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Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis
Also called Yardlong bean, Long Beans, Yard Long Bean
A vigorous climbing annual vine grown for its very long, edible green pods, which are picked young and cooked like green beans. It is a subspecies of cowpea, and it thrives in hot, humid summers where regular green beans struggle.
The asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, snake bean, bodi, bora, and kosbanti (kousenband). Despite the common name of "yardlong", the pods are actually only about half a yard long, so the subspecies name sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long; 1.5 feet (0.50 yd)) is a more accurate approximation.
A variety of the cowpea, the asparagus bean is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35 to 75 centimetres (1.15 to 2.46 ft)) immature green pods and has uses very similar to those of the green bean. This plant is in
The pods, which can begin to form 2-3 weeks after sowing, hang in groups of two or more. They are used as vegetables when they are picked before they reach full maturity; however, overlooked mature pods can be used like dry beans. When harvesting, it is important not to pick the buds above the beans since the plant will set many more beans on the same stem in the future. The plants take longer to reach maturity than bush beans, but once they start producing, the pods are quick-growing, and daily checking and harvesting are often necessary. In temperate climates, the plants can produce beans until the first frost. The plant attracts many pollinators, specifically various types of wasps and ants.
The plant is easy to grow in areas with hot and humid summers where other green bean varieties may succumb to heat damage in summer, and as such, is worthy of more cultivation in these areas. This plant is particularly easy to grow in the Southeastern United States and southerly Midwestern United States, where it is not currently grown commonly.
They are a good source of carbohydrates, protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.
Moth bean · Adzuki bean · Hairypod cowpea · Black gram · Mung bean · Bambarra groundnut · Rice bean · Catjang · Black-eyed pea · Cowpea · Cowpea
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Asparagus bean 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.
