Potato bean
Vigna adenantha

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A climbing herb that keeps growing from year to year. It can be 4 m long. It has a tuberous root. It forms roots at the nodes. The stems can be slightly hairy. The leaflets are oval and the side leaflets are slightly oblique. They are 2.5-14 cm long by 1.6-8 cm across. They can taper towards the tip and be rounded at the base. The veins are often raised. They form a net like pattern. The leaf stalks are 1.5-13.5 cm long. The flowering stalk has 6-12 flowers densely together. The fruit stalk can be 0.5-25 cm long. The standard can be white or red. The keel can be white or blue. The keel curves inwards. The fruit are long narrow pods. They contain 9-15 seeds. The pods are 10-14 cm long and 0.7-1.4 cm wide. The seeds are kidney shaped and reddish brown. They are 5.5-7 mm long by 5 mm wide.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in grassland and savanna. It is normally near the edges of rivers. In Papua New Guinea it occurs between 10-15 m altitude. It grows in the lowlands near the coast and along beaches. It can grow in arid places. In Argentina it grows from sea level to 700 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, American Samoa, Andamans, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central Africa, Comoros, Congo, Cuba (country/location of origin), Dominican Republic, East Africa, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indochina, Jamaica (country/location of origin), Laos, Lesser Antilles, Liberia, Madagascar, Mexico (country/location of origin), Myanmar, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, South America (country/location of origin), Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tonga, Pantropical, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

The tuberous root is eaten. It is boiled and mashed. The seeds and seed pods are eaten as an emergency food.

It is a famine food.

Edible parts

Tubers, seeds, root, pods, vegetable

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Banbarbati, Chuo sina, Dau hoa-tuyen, Feijao-do-mato, Karalasana, Karu alachandra, Kattupayaru, Kullounda, Masikanda, Tasad-chandoa, Tirde, Trienfu

Synonyms

Phaseolus adenanthus G. F. W. Meyer; Phaseolus cochleatus Bello; Phaseolus truxillensis H.B.Kunth; Dolichos oleraceus Schum. & Thonn.;