Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) Gardening
Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus) is a tropical legume plant in the family Fabaceae, native to New Guinea. It is also known as Asparagus Pea, Four-angled beans, Winged Pea, Kacang botol, Kecipir, Jaat, and Goa bean.
Winged bean is a herbaceous, vigorous, climbing vine with trailing stems and leaves, growing 3-4m tall. It is a perennial plant but can be grown as an annual. It bears pale blue flowers. The fruit is a bean pod, 15-22 cm long with four wings of frilly edges that run lengthwise. Young pods has waxy skins and partially translucent flesh. Tender pods are the most widely eaten part of the plant, and can be harvested within two to three months of planting. The leaves, flowers and tuberous roots are also edible. Fully ripen pods are ash-brown, and split open to release the seeds.
Winged beans are rich in calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C. Propagation is by seeds, and the seeds should be scratched or soaked in warm water to hasten germination. The plant grows well in full sun, well-drained soil, and can tolerate some drought. It is sensitive to frost, and will not flower if daylight length is more than 12 hours.
Flowers of Winged bean
Author: KENPEI (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)
Author: Xufanc (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
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