Winged Bean
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus
Family: Fabaceae or Leguminosae
What it is like
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus is a PERENNIAL growing to 2 m (6ft 7in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 2
Where it is found
Not known in the wild.
Original habitat is obscure, probably Tropical Africa.
Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Asia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, China, Congo, Cook Islands, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, East Timor, Egypt, Fiji, Ghana, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Marianas, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Africa, Northeastern India, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Reunion, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South America, Sri Lanka, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Africa, Zambia,
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
Young seedpods - cooked for a few minutes. They tastes like French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris). The pods are harvested when about 15 - 20 cm long and 2cm wide. They will store for up to 21 days at 10°c with a relative humidity of 90%. The yields of pods average 250 - 500g per m². Immature seeds are used in soups etc. Mature seeds are eaten cooked. They are very nutritious, being rich in oil (up to 17%), protein, vitamin E and calcium. The seed can also be roasted and eaten like peanuts or fermented and used as tempeh. An edible oil is obtained from the seed. Root - raw or cooked like potatoes. Slightly sweet, it contains 20% or more protein, which is about 12 times that of potatoes. Leaves and young shoots - cooked. They are used like spinach. Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked. They have a flavour similar to mushrooms when sautéed. The light blue flowers are also used as a colouring in foods. The roasted seed is a coffee substitute.
Oil: Oil
Root: includes bulbs, corms, tubers, rhizomes etc.
Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.
Seedpod: things such as Okra, French and Runner beans.
Stem: this often intergrades into leaves.
Coffee: the various substitutes that can be used instead of coffee.
Colouring: edible dyes
Medicine
Rating: 0
Other
Rating: 3
A very good green manure with exceptional nitrogen-fixing properties, producing a greater weight of nodules per plant than any other member of the Leguminosae. It is used for soil improvement and restoration.
Green manure: Fast-growing plants that can be used to increase the fertility of the soil.
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.
Soil reclamation: Plants that can be grown in such circumstances an the spoil tips of mines in order to restore fertility.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.
Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.
Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.
Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.
Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.
Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil
How it is grown
Prefers a loamy slightly acidic soil, but there are cultivars suitable for many soil types. Tolerates heavy soils but dislikes wet soils. Dislikes drought. Very widely cultivated as a food plant in the tropics and sub-tropics, there are many named varieties. It is usually treated as an annual. In temperate zones it has to be grown as an annual crop. Most varieties will only flower when daylight hours are around 12 per day but day-neutral varieties are being developed that will flower in the summer in northerly and southerly latitudes. Temperatures in the range of 25 - 30°c are necessary for optimum growth. Plants take 60 - 80 days from sowing to the first harvest of seedpods. Mature tubers can be harvested 120 - 240 days from sowing. The plant is very disease resistant. 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.
Propagating it: Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in early spring in a warm greenhouse. Place two or three seeds in each pot, thinning to the strongest plant. Plant them out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts and give them the protection of a cloche or cold frame until they are growing away strongly.
Best place to grow: Cultivated Beds;
Habit: Perennial
Hardiness: 8-12
Growth:
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: No shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Betlanei, Charfakia, Chipir, Dambala, Dara-dhambala, Fava de cavalo, Fogiolo quadrato, Four angled bean, Goa bean, Goabohne, Kacang botor, Kachang belimbing, Kachang botol, Kachang botor, Kechipir, Kecipir, Manilla bean, Pois asperge, Prapiey chrung, Samporong, Sbai daograng, Sem, Shikakumame, Si jiang dou, Sigarilyas, Sikaku mame, Su-ling dou, Sz kok tau, Thua phuu, Thua pu, Tua pu, asparagus bean|dara dambala, asparagus-pea, calamismis, four-angle-bean, goa bean, goa-bean, goabohne, goaböna, hane-mi-sasage, pois carré, princess-pea, shikaku-mame, winged bean, winged pea, winged-bean.