Wild sweetpea
Vigna frutescens subsp. frutescens

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A bushy herb. it can lie along the ground or be climbing. It can grow 4 m long. It keeps growing from year to year. It has a woody rootstock. The leaves have 3 leaflets. These are 2-8 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. The flowers have a scent. The flowers are pale purple and appear when the plant is without leaves. The fruit is a pod that is round in cross section and tapers to both ends. It is pale green and hairy. It is 5-11 cm long. The fruit stalk can be 20 cm long.

There are about 150 Vigna species. They are mostly in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in hot arid areas with a marked dry season. The dry season can be 6-11 months. It can be in rocky or sandy soil. It grows between 6-1,650 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The root tuber is roasted and eaten.

Edible parts

Seeds, roots, tubers

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Ona

Synonyms

Vigna esculenta (De Wild) De Wild; Vigna keniensis Harms; Vigna pongolensis Burtt Davy; Vigna pseudotriloba Harms; Vigna taubertii Harm; Liebrechtsia esculenta;