Lablab purpureus

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Lablab purpureus
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Mesic
Hardiness:10
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Height:7'
Blooms:Mid Summer-Early Fall
Nitrogen Fixer
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility RatingPFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal RatingPFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Lablab purpureus (common name: hyacinth bean)

Propagation: Seed - pre-soak for 2 hours in warm water and sow in early spring in a greenhouse in a fairly rich soil[1][2]. Either sow 2 seeds to a pot and thin to the strongest plant, or sow in a tray and prick out into individual pots when the plants are large enough to handle. Grow on fast and plant out after the last expected frosts. The seed germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 25°c.

Cultivation: Easily grown in an ordinary garden soil so long as the temperature is sufficient[3]. Succeeds in relatively poor soils so long as they are well-drained[4]. Plants grow best at temperatures between 28 - 30°c though they tolerate mean temperatures as low as 9°c[4]. Prefers a rich moist soil in a warm sheltered position[2]. Prefers a well-drained soil with a high organic matter content and a pH between 5.5 and 6[5]. Some varieties are drought resistant[5].

A perennial species[6], it is not cold-hardy in Britain, though it is occasionally grown as an annual in the ornamental garden[7][1]. It requires a minimum temperature of 7 - 10°c if it is to survive winter conditions[5].

The hyacinth bean is commonly cultivated in warm temperate and tropical climates for its edible seed, there are many named varieties[8][5] varying in height from 60cm to 2 metres. Short-day, long-day and daylength-neutral varieties are available, you should use day-length-neutral or long-day varieties in northern latitudes[5]. Plants are fairly fast-growing, young pods are ready to harvest from 70 - 120 days after sowing[5].

This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[5].

Range: Probably originated in the Tropics but has been cultivated for so long that its origins are obscure.

Habitat: Not known in a truly wild situation.

Edibility: The mature seed is edible as long as it is thoroughly cooked[9][7][1][10][11][12]. It has a mild flavour, is rich in protein and can be used as a staple food. The seed can also be prepared as 'tofu' or be fermented into 'tempeh' in the same way that soya beans are used in Japan[8]. The seed can also be sprouted and eaten raw, when it is comparable to mung bean sprouts[13][8]. A nutritional analysis is available[14].

The tender young seedpods and immature seeds can be eaten raw or cooked. They can be used as a green vegetable like French beans[15][11][16]. They are also used as a curry vegetable[8]. The immature seedpod contains 3.2% protein, 0.8% fat, 5.4% carbohydrate, 0.81% ash. It is rich in vitamin B1[13].

Leaves - they must be cooked[17][13]. They can also be dried for later use[8]. The leaves are used as a greens just like spinach[8]. They contain up to 28% protein[17] (dry weight?).

Flowers - raw or cooked in soups and stews[8].

Root - large and starchy[8].

Medicinal: The plant (though the exact part used is not stipulated) is anticholesterolemic, antidote (to most forms of poison), antivinous, carminative, hypoglycaemic. Prolongs co-agulation time[18][19][20]. It is used in the treatment of cholera, vomiting, diarrhoea, leucorrhoea, gonorrhoea, alcoholic intoxication and globefish poisoning[18].

The flowers are antivinous, alexiteric and carminative[14].

The stem is used in the treatment of cholera[14].

The juice from the pods is used to treat inflamed ears and throats[14].

The seeds are anthelmintic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, astringent, digestive, febrifuge and stomachic[14][21].

Usage: Plants are fairly fast growing and the bacteria on the roots enrich the soil with nitrogen. This makes them a good green manure crop, though they are only really suitable for climates warmer than Britain[15][22].

Pollinators: Insects

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Seed Ripens: Early Fall-Mid Fall

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Known Hazards: The raw seed is poisonous[10].

Also Known As: L. vulgaris. Dolichos lablab. L.

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Organ, John. Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table. Faber, 1960.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bird, Alfred. Focus on Plants Volume 5. Thompson and Morgan, 1991.
  3. ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Larkcom, Joy. Oriental Vegetables. John Murray, 1991.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  6. ↑ Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
  9. ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Nicholson, Barbara and Stephen Harrison. The Oxford Book of Food Plants. Oxford University Press, 1975.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Komarov, Vladimir. Flora of the USSR. Gantner Verlag, 1968.
  12. ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Read, Bernard. Famine Foods Listed in the Chiu Huang Pen Ts'ao. Taipei Southern Materials Centre, 1977.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
  16. ↑ Chakravarty, Hiralal. The Plant Wealth of Iraq. 1976.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Natural Food Institute. Wonder Crops 1987.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Revolutionary Health Committee of Hunan Province. A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press.
  19. ↑ Yeung, Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, 1985.
  20. ↑ Stuart, George. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei Southern Materials Centre.
  21. ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
  22. ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.


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