Family: Papilionaceae

This plant group is fairly widely spread through the tropics, and especially the American tropics. Several species have been grown variously for green manure crops, for stock feed or for their edible beans. May not be readily available in the US.

Species

C. ensiformis, Jack bean, sword bean or sabre bean, is an annual which came originally from tropical America. It grows from 1.5 to 2 m (5-6 ft) high and has pink to purple flowers. The immature seeds contain alkaloids and are poisonous if eaten. The mature pods and seeds are said to be edible. C. rosea (Synonym: C. maritima), beach bean, is native to a number of parts of the world. It is a trailing or scrambling plant which makes a good sand-binder, because of its habit of forming large mats. The flowers are rosy pink to mauve and appear in summer. The seeds are toxic if eaten raw but can be treated to make them edible.

Cultivation

Grow under glass in climates which are prone to frosts. Outdoors, canavalias should be grown in well-drained soil in an open, sunny position. Propagate from seed which has been soaked overnight before sowing.

Climate

Zone 10.