Hyacinth Bean

Description:

Lablab purpureus (Hyacinth Bean) is a plant which is usually cultivated, in the Philippines, for its edible beans. In our backyard it seems to grow spontaneously, but I think that its unexpected appearances in odd corners is probably due to pods being accidentally transported there when soil has been moved around for various reasons. This plant always attracts numerous species of bugs, many of which have been included in my Project Noah spottings.

Habitat:

This plant is growing in a corner of our backyard. The Hyacinth Bean has a number of Common Names in various parts of the Philippines. In the area where I live, it is known as "Bataw"

Notes:

Pic #1. The flowers range from white to pink. Pic #2. The pods also vary from whitish yellow to violet. Pic #3. There are three to five beans in a pod. Pic #4. The leaves are tri-foliate. Pic #5. Hyacinth Bean is a climbing or trailing vine. This one is climbing on the fence around our vegetable plot and intermingling with another (unidentified) vine. Wikipedia's article on this plant is excellent, but more detail is available on http://www.stuartxchange.org/Bataw.html