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Vigna unguiculata cylindrica

Common name:	Jerusalem Pea	Family:	Leguminosae
Author:	(L.)Verdc.	Botanical references:
Synonyms:	Vigna cylindrica ((L.)Skeels.), Vigna catjang (Walp.), Dolichos biflorus (L.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. Asia.
Habitat:	Not known
Edibility Rating (1-5):	2	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	1

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Dolichos biflorus[G,P] Dolichos catiang[G] Dolichos catjang[G] Phaseolus cylindricus[G,P] V. unguiculata ssp. cylindrica[P] V. unguiculata subsp. cylindrica[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Catjang [P],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	cylindrica = cylindrical unguiculata = clawed
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Fabales. Renamed to Fabaceae -- Pea family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India(Santal)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.5m. It is frost tender. It is in flower from July to September, and the seeds ripen from August to October. 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 1/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained 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.

Edible Uses

Seed Seedpod.

Young seedpods - cooked[2, 177]. They are picked whilst the seeds are very immature and then cooked like French beans[183].
Seed - cooked[2, 183]. Rich in protein.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Diuretic Stomachic.

The seed is diuretic[240]. It is used to strengthen the stomach[240]. When boiled and eaten as a food it is considered to destroy worms in the stomach[240].

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

Requires a very warm sunny position in a moist but well drained soil.
Often cultivated for its edible seed in warm temperate and tropical zones, it is best started off in a greenhouse in Britain and planted out after the last expected frosts. Plants have given reasonable yields for the past 3 years on our trial grounds in &ndndndnd (1993)[K].
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]. When removing plant remains at the end of the growing season, it is best to only remove the aerial parts of the plant, leaving the roots in the ground to decay and release their nitrogen.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in trays in early to mid spring in a greenhouse. Germination should take place within 10 days. Grow the plants on fast and plant them out after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them the protection of a cloche for their first few weeks outdoors to ensure that they do not suffer a check to their growth.
An outdoor sowing in situ in late spring may succeed in a warm summer, though it is much more likely to be a disappointment in Britain.

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.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Vigna cylindrica (a possible synonym).

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.

References for Vigna unguiculata ssp. cylindrica (a possible synonym).

[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Vigna unguiculata subsp. cylindrica (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic 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

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[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.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[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.

Readers Comments

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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
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
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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.