Lablab
Family Leguminosae: Papilionaceae (or Fabaceae)
Lablab niger (= Lablab vulgaris, = Dolichos lablab), lablab (L. niger 1); also called hyacinth bean, bovanist bean, seim bean, Indian bean, Egyptian bean or lubia bean, is a herbaceous, usually twining perennial herb, up to 5-6 m long, with alternate trifoliate leaves and white or purple flowers borne in axillary inflorescences (L. niger 3), (L. niger 4). The pods are variable, 5-15 cm long, often curved and flattened, containing 3-6 white, reddish, black or mottled seeds.
Distribution
Lablab is probably of Asian origin and is cultivated in India since time immemorial. It has been distributed to many tropical countries, but it is chiefly grown in Egypt, the Sudan and Southeast Asia.
Use
The young pods are eaten as a boiled vegetable in India (L. niger 2), the dried seeds are used as a split pulse in the national dish ‘ dhal’ . Lablab is also an important fodder.