Cluster bean
Family Leguminosae: Papilionaceae (or Fabaceae)
Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (= Cyamopsis psoralioides), the cluster bean (C. tetragonoloba 1), is a bushy annual, 1-3 m high, with grooved branches, trifoliate leaves and small white flowers in axillary racemes. The pods are borne in stiff erect clusters, with a marked beak, 4-10 cm long, containing 5-12 oval seeds.
Distribution and use
The cluster bean is indigenous in India, where the pods are eaten as a vegetable. The seed flour has exceptionally high viscosity and is used to improve the strength of paper, for backing stamps, for sizing textiles and for thickening products like ice cream and salad dressing. It is also used as filling in slimming diets. For this reason it is also grown in the south-western US.