Green or golden gram, mung
Family Leguminosae: Papilionaceae (or Fabaceae)
Phaseolus aureus (= Vigna aureus), green or golden gram (P. aureus 1), is a much branched, hairy annual herb, 50-130 cm tall, with alternate trifoliate leaves and axillary yellow flowers (P. aureus 2), about 1.5 cm across. The pods are long and slender, containing 10-15 globular green seeds (P. aureus 3).
Distribution
Green gram is of ancient cultivation in India (P. aureus 4), where it is known as mung. Only in recent times the crop has been introduced into Africa, the West Indies and the US.
Use
The green pods are eaten as a vegetable. The dried beans are eaten whole or after splitting in the Indian dish ‘dhal’. Ground into flour it is used in various dishes of the oriental cuisine, and for making flat bread in India (T. aestivum 11). It is also used for bean sprouts (P. aureus 5), which are eaten raw in salads or boiled.