Sword bean

Description:

It grows vigorously and bears large pinkish flowers. Pods are 15-30 cm long and shaped so as to invite a name like Sword bean. The seeds are rose or pink in colour.

Habitat:

In the field.

Notes:

The two species differ mainly in the length of the seed hilum (scar). The hilum of Sword bean (C. gladiata) is more than one-half the length of the seed, whereas that of the Jack bean (C. ensiformis) is only about one-third as long as the seed. Most of the Jack beans identified have been white with a black seed scar, while the Sword beans have been red seeded.