Asparagus bean

For the actual asparagus plant, see Asparagus. For the winged bean, which is also called asparagus bean, see Winged bean.
Asparagus bean
SpeciesVigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.
Cultivar group'sesquipedalis'
CultivarAsparagus bean
Yardlong bean, illustration from the Japanese agricultural encyclopedia Seikei Zusetsu (1804)

The asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean.[1] It is also known as: yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, snake bean,[2] bodi, and bora.[3] Despite the common name of "yardlong", the pods are actually only about half a yard long, so the subspecies name sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long; 1.5 feet (0.50 yd)) is a more accurate approximation.

A variety of the cowpea, the asparagus bean is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35 to 75 centimetres (1.15 to 2.46 ft)) immature green pods and has uses very similar to those of the green bean. This plant is in a different genus from the common bean. The different colors of seeds usually distinguish the many varieties. It is a vigorous climbing annual vine. The plant is subtropical/tropical and most widely grown in the warmer parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China.

  1. ^ "Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. subsp. unguiculata Sesquipedalis Group GRIN-Global". npgsweb.ars-grin.gov. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  2. ^ "Common names for asparagus bean". Archived from the original on 2021-06-07.
  3. ^ "Bodi, our favorite bean". 3 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2021-06-07.