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Psophocarpus tetragonolobus

Common name:	Winged Bean	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(L.)DC.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Original habitat is obscure.
Habitat:	Not known in the wild.
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	0

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Botor tetragonolobus[G] Dolichos tetragonolobus[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Biraro [E], Chipir [E], Kachang Botor [E], Kachang Embing [E], Katjang Belimbing [E], Kelongkang [E], Winged Bean [P],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Burma; Java; Malaya

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 2m. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. We rate it 2/5 for edibility and 0/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Cultivar 'Day Neutral': Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Coffee; Colouring; Flowers; Leaves; Oil; Root; Seed; Seedpod; Stem.

Young seedpods - cooked for a few minutes[2, 46, 61, 116]. They tastes like French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris)[183]. The pods are harvested when about 15 - 20 cm long and 2cm wide[200]. They will store for up to 21 days at 10°c with a relative humidity of 90%[200]. The yields of pods average 250 - 500g per m²[200].
Immature seeds are used in soups etc[183].
Mature seeds are eaten cooked[2, 46, 61, 116]. They are very nutritious, being rich in oil (up to 17%)[160], protein, vitamin E and calcium. The seed can also be roasted and eaten like peanuts or fermented and used as tempeh[183].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[183].
Root - raw or cooked like potatoes[160, 183]. Slightly sweet, it contains 20% or more protein, which is about 12 times that of potatoes[116, 183].
Leaves and young shoots - cooked. They are used like spinach[61, 116, 183].
Flowers and flower buds - raw or cooked[183]. They have a flavour similar to mushrooms when sautéed[116]. The light blue flowers are also used as a colouring in foods[183].
The roasted seed is a coffee substitute[183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

None known

Other Uses

Green manure; Oil; Soil reclamation.

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[200]. It is used for soil improvement and restoration[200].

Cultivation details

Prefers a loamy slightly acidic soil, but there are cultivars suitable for many soil types[200]. Tolerates heavy soils[116] but dislikes wet soils[200]. Dislikes drought[200].
Very widely cultivated as a food plant in the tropics and sub-tropics, there are many named varieties[183]. 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[116] but day-neutral varieties are being developed that will flower in the summer in northerly and southerly latitudes[200]. Temperatures in the range of 25 - 30°c are necessary for optimum growth[200]. Plants take 60 - 80 days from sowing to the first harvest of seedpods[200]. Mature tubers can be harvested 120 - 240 days from sowing[200].
The plant is very disease resistant[160].
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[200].

Propagation

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[240].

Cultivars

'Day Neutral': Unlke most forms of this species, this cultivar will flower and produce seeds regardless of day length[183]. It can therefore potentially be grown considerably north and south of its current range[183]. The seed needs to be scarified in order to ensure good germination[183].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Latin and Worldwide Common Names From Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database by M. H. Porcher et. al. 1995 - 2000 Landcare Systems Research Laboratory, Department of Crop Production,Institute of Land and Food Resources, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[116] Brooklyn Botanic Garden Oriental Herbs and Vegetables, Vol 39 No. 2. Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1986
A small booklet packed with information.

[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.