Edible : Leaves, Seeds, Pods, Vegetable,
A small annual bean with hairy pods. It is an erect herb 20-80 cm tall. Sometimes the stems are twining. The stems have dense yellow or rusty hairs. Leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and 3-10 cm long by 1-5.5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are long but the leaflets stalks are short. Flowers are yellow. They are 1-2 cm long in dense flower clusters. The fruit is a pod 4-7 cm long. They are 5-6 mm wide. Seeds are small and black. There are 4 to 10 seeds per pod. Seeds are 4-4.5 mm long by 4 mm wide. They have square ends.
A tropical plant. Mainly coastal but probably will grow up to 1800 m altitude in the tropics. It suits dry areas. It is drought resistant. It is grown in areas with rainfall of 900 mm per year. It cannot stand frost or long periods of cloud. It is not suited to the wet tropics. In Nepal they grow to 2000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-12.
Common names : Mung bean, Urd, Black gram, Adad, Akwa sos, Arad, Banmasyang, Dau muong-an, Dengu, Karu-minimulu, Maga, Mas, Mash kalai, Masha, Matimah, Mat-pe, Minumulu, Nallaminumulu, Pani-payir, Tikari kalai, Uddu, Udid, Ulundu, Ullundu, Undu, Urad, Urd dhal, Urdi, Uzhunnu,
Synonyms :
Phaseolus mungo L. non Roxb., & auct.;
Azukia mungo (L.) Masamune;
Phaseolus radiatus Roxb., non Linn.;
Phaseolus hernandezii Savi;
Phaseolus roxburghii Wight & Arnott;