Hyacinth bean
(Lablab purpureus)
Species
Family: Fabaceae; Genus: Lablab; Species: L. Purpureus; Binomial name: Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet
Synonyms:
Dolichos benghalensis Jacq.; Dolichos lablab
L.; Dolichos purpureus L. ; Lablab niger Medikus; Lablab purpurea (L.) Sweet;
Lablab vulgaris (L.) Savi; Vigna aristata Piper.
Lablab purpureus L. Sweet; Dolichos
lablab L; Dolichos purpureus L; Dolichos lablab ssp ensiformis
Thunb; Dolichos cultratus Thunb; Dolichos bengalensis Jacq; Dolichos
lablab var; hortensis Schweinf & Muschler; Dolichos albus
Lour; Dolichos uniflorus; Dolichos lablab ssp bengalensis
Jacq; Lablab niger Medik; Lablab vulgaris Savi; Lablab
leucocarpos Davi; Lablab purpureus ssp purpureus Verdc; Lablab
vulgaris var; niger DC; Lablab purpureus ssp uncinatus
Verdc; Lablab perennans DC; Lablab nankinicus Savi; Lablab
purpureus ssp bengalensis (Jacq.) Verdc.
Common
names
Hyacinth
bean, dolique lablab, lablab bean, field bean, pig-ears, rongai dolichos,
lab-lab bean, poor man's bean, tonga bean, dolique lab-lab, dolique d'Egypte,
frijol jacinto, quiquaqua, caroata chwata, poroto de Egipto, chicarros, frijol
caballo, gallinita, frijol de adorno, carmelita, frijol caballero, pois
nourrice, batao, wal, sem, lubia, fiwi bean, antaque, banner bean, wal, batao,
natoba, toba, pois Antaque, pois de Senteur, tapirucusu, Lablab, Egyptian bean,
hyacinth bean, bonavist bean.
Other common names include Tonga bean, papaya
bean, poor man bean (Australia), fiwi bean, Kikuyu bean, lubia bean (Africa),
Bounavista pea (Trinidad), and butter bean (Caribbean). It is known as
gallinita (Mexico), ataque (France), fuji-mame (Japan), gerenge (Ethiopia),
helmbohne (Germany), gueshrangaig (Egypt), and louria (Cyprus).[3] In India it
is called chapparadavare, chikkadikai (Kannada), avari, mochai (Tamil),
anumulu, chikkudu (Telugu), mochakotta (Malayalam), sem, ballar (Hindi), val
(Gujarati),[3] ถั่วแปบ (Thai)
English language common names include
hyacinth bean, dolichos bean, seim bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean,
Indian bean, and Australian pea.
Description
Annual
or perennial robust twiner, native to India. Similar in climatic adaptation to
the cowpea. Cultivated mainly for the edible seeds, but also important for hay
and silage in many countries. Grown alone or mixed with maize or sorghum. Fast
growing and able to withstand heavy grazing when young.
The
wild forms of lablab are believed to have originated in India (Deka and Sarkar
1990) and were introduced into Africa from southeast Asia during the eighth
century. Lablab has been widely distributed to many tropical and subtropical
countries where it has become naturalised. In South and Central America, East
and West Indies, Asia, China and India, lablab is grown as an annual or a
short-lived perennial . In these areas, the seed and immature pods are used for
human food while the herbage is used as green manure, for erosion control, and
as a feed supplement for cattle grazing mature pasture in the dry season.
Presently,
lablab is common in Africa, extending from Cameroon to Swaziland and Zimbabwe,
through Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania . Currently, lablab is one
of the major leguminous forage and green manure crop in this area of the world.
It is the only species in the monotypic genus
Lablab native to:
Africa:
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Cote D'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana,
Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra
Leone, South Africa (Cape Province, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal),
Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe. Western Indian
Ocean: Madagascar.
Now widely cultivated pan-tropically.
Uses
Nutritional
attributes
The hyacinth bean is often grown as forage
for livestock and as an ornamental plant. In addition, it is cited both as a
medicinal plant and a poisonous plant. The fruit and beans are edible if boiled
well with several changes of the water. Otherwise, they are toxic due to the
presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides that are converted to hydrogen
cyanide when consumed. Signs of poisoning include weakness, vomiting, dyspnea,
twitching, stupor, and convulsions.
The leaves are eaten raw or cooked like
spinach. The flowers can be eaten raw or steamed. The root can be boiled or
baked for food. The seeds are used to make tofu and tempeh.
In the United States, lablab bean usually is
grown as an ornamental. (I for one don't care for the strong beany smell when
they are cooking.)
In Asia and Africa lablab is grown for food.
Lablab bean is an excellent nitrogen fixer and is sometimes grown as a cover
crop or for livestock fodder. Edible and ornamental, lablab bean is a handsome
addition to just about any kind of garden: vegetable, flower, hummingbird and
butterfly, fragrant, etc.
Lablab
purpureus
combines a great number of qualities that can be used successfully under
various conditions. Its first advantage is its adaptability, not only is it
drought resistant, it is able to grow in a diverse range of environmental
conditions world wide. Staying green during the dry season, it has been known
to provide up to six tonnes of dry matter/ha.
Conclusions
Lablab
purpureus
combines a great number of qualities that can be used successfully under
various conditions. Its first advantage is its adaptability, not only is it
drought resistant, it is able to grow in a diverse range of environmental
conditions world wide. Staying green during the dry season, it has been known
to provide up to six tonnes of dry matter/ha.
Being
palatable to livestock, it is an adequate source of much needed protein and can
be utilised in several different ways. It can be grazed in a pasture setting or
as a companion crop to maize, cut as hay, or mixed with corn silage. In several
experiments it has been observed to increase livestock weight and milk production
during the dry season.
References:
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