Edible: Leaves, Fruit, Pods, Seeds, Root, Flowers, Vegetable
A climbing bean which can have vines 1-5 m long. It keeps growing from year to year. The stems can be smooth or hairy. Leaves are made up of 3 almost triangular leaflets. The leaflets are 5-15 cm long and 3-14 cm wide. The side leaflets are somewhat asymmetrical. Often the plants are flushed purple. The flowering clusters are 5-20 cm long. Flowers are often white but can vary from red to blue. The pods are flattened, pointed and up to 12 cm long and 2 cm wide. They can be green, purple or white. Inside there are 3-5 white or dark seeds. Seed pods have a wavy margin. The seeds are 0.5-1.5 cm long. (This bean is similar to Lima bean but the keel of the flower in not spirally twisted, the pod ends more bluntly with a long thin style at the end and the hilum on the seed is longer.)
It is a tropical and subtropical plant. It mostly grows between 750 and 2175 m altitude in the tropics. It is drought resistant and can grow in quite low rainfall areas. Some varieties are short day and some are long day kinds. In Nepal it grows to about 2500 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In Yunnan.
Common Names: Antaka, Ataka, Avara, Avarai, Awuje, Bach bien dau, Bak pap, Bepi, Bian dou, Bonavist bean, By-lap, Carmelita, Caruana, Chapparada avare, Chikkudu, Cinkamba, Coelhinho, Dau van, Dolic, Dralawa, Fagiolo egiziano, Feijao, Frejol comestible, Frijol caballero, Fuji mame, Habichuela, Helmbohne, Hiunde simi, Hyacinth bean, 'itab, Kacang kara, Kachang jeriji, Kachang kara, Kara-kara, Kattuavaral, Kekara, Khungudzi, Mbumbu, Munkamba, Ngiima, Nhaperepere, Nwai-pe, Nzavi, Papuri, Pavta, Pe-letma, Pe-maung-makaw, Pe-pazum, Pe-seik-gyo, Pe-wa-kyeik, Pe-wet-swe, Roway katopes, Samdaek holann tao, Sem, Shim, Sokol, Toba, To-tat, Tua nang, Tua pep, Tua-paep, Umuharakuuki, Val, Waken baibayi
Synonyms:
Lablab niger Medik;
Dolichos benghalensis Jacq.;
Dolichos lablab L.;
Lablab purpurea (L.) Sweet;
Lablab vulgaris (L.) Savi;
Dolichos purpureus L.;
Vigna aristata Piper;