Dolichas lablab may not sound familiar, but maybe Lablab purpureus does. Or hyacinth bean. Or Indian bean. Or Egyptian bean. Or pig ears. Or poor man’s bean. Or any of a number of other names in a slew of countries, usually in the tropics, that grow this handsome bean vine as a food crop. Here in the United States, the African native is marketed as an ornamental because of its striking vines, fragrant and elegant flowers, brilliantly purple pods and fast-growing nature. All of the plant is edible, making it a valuable crop in Asia and Africa, but the dry seeds are poisonous.
Photographed at Rogers Farm, University of Maine, Stillwater.