Marama Bean
Tylosema esculentum
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
Tylosema esculentum, commonly known as Marama Bean or Gemsbok Bean is a perennial legume native to Southern Africa. It is long-lived and grows at least 3 m. The tuber can grow at least 10 kg, which makes the plant capable of growing under harsh environmental conditions.The seeds develop in legume pods. Marama bean has no medicinal uses but is an important food crop. The seeds are cooked by roasting or boiling. Immature seeds and stems are also cooked. The seeds yield edible oil with taste and consistency comparable to that of almond oil. The tuber is baked, boiled, or roasted.
Tylosema esculentum is an evergreen Perennial growing to 1 m (3ft 3in) by 0.2 m (0ft 8in) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.
Height (m): 1
Where it is found
Localized in patches in grassland and wooded grassland vegetation in sandy and limestone (including dolomite) soils, but not on soils developed over granite or basalt.
Southern Africa - Kalahari desert and neighbouring sandy regions.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 4
Seed - cooked. After roasting, the seeds have a delicious, nutty flavour similar to coffee beans or roasted cashews. They may be boiled with maize meal or ground into flour to prepare a porridge or a coffee- or cocoa-like drink. The roasted seeds have sometimes been used as a culinary substitute for almonds. The seeds have a protein content around 30% (approaching that of the soya bean) and an oil content around 40% (approaching that of the peanut). The immature seeds and stems may be eaten cooked as a vegetable or in soups. A coffee-like beverage can be made from the seeds. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Similar to almond oil in consistency and taste. Golden-yellow, with a nutty odour and a pleasant, although slightly bitter flavour Tuber - cooked. The sweet-tasting tuber can be baked, boiled or roasted. Young tubers have a sweet and pleasant taste and the texture has been described as similar to that of artichoke. Tubers older than 2 years become fibrous and bitter and are usually not eaten, but they are an important emergency source of water for humans and animals.
Oil: Oil
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 2
Agroforestry Uses: Marama bean may have potential as an ornamental ground cover plant. Other Uses: The seeds and kernels yield up to 50% by weight of a golden yellow, transparent oil that can be used in cosmetic preparations.
Cosmetic: Used to improve the physical appearence of a person.
Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.
Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.
Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
New Crop: Most new crops were important wild plants until recently, although some are the result of hybridization. They have been developed in the last few, decades. What they have in common is that they are currently cultivated by farmers. Examples include baobab, argan, and buffalo gourd.
Staple Crop: Protein: (16+ percent protein, 0-15 percent oil). Annuals include beans, chickpeas, lentils, cowpeas, and pigeon peas. Perennials include perennial beans, nuts, leaf protein concentrates, and edible milks.
Wild Staple Crop: Some wild plants have strong historical or contemporary use. Although they are not cultivated crops, they may be wild-managed.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Ground Cover: Ground Cover
How it is grown
A plant of the drier tropics, marama bean occurs naturally in an extreme environment with high temperatures and very low rainfall. It can be found at elevations up to 1,500 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 16 - 50°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 300 - 600mm, but tolerates 150 - 1,600mm. The plant probably survives droughts by drawing on water stored in the tuber, which shrinks greatly in dry years. Requires a sunny position. Grows best in a deep, loose, sandy soil. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 7, tolerating 5 - 7.5. An extremely drought-tolerant plant, it can grow in areas where rainfall is so slight and erratic that in some years almost no rain falls at all. In its native habitat surface water is usually available only for 8 weeks a year, though in the fine-grained sandy soils water may remain in the root zone for as long as 2 months after a rainfall. Unlike most members of this plant family, this species does not form nitrogen nodules on the roots.
Propagating it: Seed it should not be pre-soaked, though germination might be improved by scarification. Germination starts to take place after about 9 days.
Best place to grow:
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 10-12
Growth: Fast
Soil: Light (sandy), medium
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Dry, moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
#ng#a, /noukom, braai-boontjie, braaiboontjie, dinga, ditsidi, dshin, dshìn, dz'hi, dz'hì (seed), dzhì (seed), elandsbohne, elandsboontjie, elandsboontjie pitte, gami, ganu, gemsbok bean, gemsbokboontjie, gemsbokwortel, gemsbuck bean, gemsbuck beans, gensbokboontjies, lai, litammani (seeds), marama, marama bean, marama-bean, maramaboontjie, marami, marumama, morama, moramma nut, muraki, murama, n//ang, n//n (tuber), ndjuya, ngami, n||??gng (tuber), n||ang, n||ang (tuber), n||ning, n||ning (plant and bulb), ombanui, ombanui (seed), ombanwi, ombanwi (seed), omumbanyu (aerial plant parts), otjipiva, otjipiva (tuber), otjipiya (plant), otjipiya (tuber), ozombanui, ozombanui (seeds), ozombanyu (seeds), rama, sekophane (tuber), tamami berry, tamani berry, tammani, tammani (seeds), thamani berry, tjhng, ts''hi, tsi, tsi (seed), tsin, z?rè (seed), zare (seed), |xouba, ||naus, ||nâu, ||nâuhaib, ||nâuns (plant and fruit), ||nâus, ?ng?a.
Synonyms
Bauhinia burkeana (Benth.) Harv. Bauhinia esculenta Burch.