Tylosema esculentum

Tylosema esculentum, with common names gemsbok bean and marama bean or morama bean, is a long-lived perennial legume native to arid areas of southern Africa. Stems grow at least 3 metres (9.8 ft), in a prostrate or trailing form, with forked tendrils that facilitate climbing. A raceme up to 25 millimetres (1 in) long, containing many yellow-orange flowers, ultimately produces an ovate to circular pod, with large brownish-black seeds.

Description

A herb or shrub. It is climbing and keeps growing from year to year. It has tuberous roots. The stem lie along the ground. They can be 6 m long. The lower parts can be woody. There are forked tendrils 1-4 cm long. The leaves are simple and arranged alternately. The leaf blade has 2 lobes. These are kidney shaped and 4-5 cm long by 5-6 cm wide. The flowers are in groups 16 cm long and at the sides. The flowers contain both sexes and are yellow turning red with age. The fruit is a oval pod 4-6 cm long by 3-4 cm wide and flattened. It is woody and usually has 1-2 seeds. The pod is constricted between the seeds. The seeds are round or oval and 2-2.5 cm long by about 1.5 cm wide. They are reddish-brown.

Edible Uses

The seeds are cooked and, once roasted, develop a delicious nutty flavour comparable to coffee beans or roasted cashews. They can be boiled with maize meal or ground into flour to make porridge or a coffee- or cocoa-like drink, and have been used as a culinary substitute for almonds. Nutritionally, the seeds contain around 30% protein (approaching that of the soya bean) and around 40% oil (approaching that of the peanut). Immature seeds and stems may be eaten cooked as a vegetable or added to soups. An edible oil extracted from the seed is similar to almond oil in consistency and taste — golden-yellow, with a nutty odour and a pleasant, slightly bitter flavour. The tuber is cooked by baking, boiling or roasting; young tubers are sweet and pleasant with a texture likened to artichoke. Tubers older than two years become fibrous and bitter and are generally not eaten, but they serve as an important emergency source of water for both humans and animals.

Traditional Uses

The root is sweet and nutritious. They are baked, boiled or roasted. The seeds are roasted or boiled and eaten. They are shelled and pounded and added to water to make soup. The seeds also produce an edible oil. The young stems are roasted and eaten. Young leafy shoots are occasionally eaten.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

A tropical plant. It is native to the Kalahari desert. It grows in hot arid areas. It can tolerate drought and low soil fertility. It often grows in areas with daily maximum temperatures of 37°C and a low rainfall of 100-900 mm. It is on sandy and limestone soils. It can tolerate frost. It grows between 800-1,600 m above sea level. It can grow in arid places.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo DR, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Israel, Malawi, Mediterranean, Middle East, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. They germinate 9-10 days after planting. Plants can re-grow from the tubers. Seeds should not be soaked or planted in waterlogged soils.

Propagation

Seed — should not be pre-soaked, though scarification may improve germination. Germination typically begins after about 9 days.

Other Uses

Marama Bean is a nitrogen-fixing plant that improves soil fertility and can be used as a cover crop for erosion control while also providing edible seeds for human and animal consumption. It has potential as an ornamental ground cover plant. The seeds and kernels yield up to 50% by weight of a golden-yellow, transparent oil suitable for use in cosmetic preparations. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, attracting bees and other beneficial insects. The seeds and tubers serve as a food source for wildlife, and the plant provides some shelter, though it is not typically used for nesting or roosting. Ground cover created by the plant can provide habitat for invertebrates, and leaf litter offers shelter for beneficial insects.

Production

Plants flower between 2 to 4 years after planting. A tuber can weigh about 1 kg. They can weigh 12 kg but become fibrous with age. The seeds can be stored for several years and are still edible.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. It is an important food of the Khoisan people in the Kalahari.

Notes

There are 5 Tylosema species. Also as Caesalpinaceae. The tuber is 9% protein. The seed is 30-39 % protein which is higher than peanut or soy bean. It apparently does not fix nitrogen.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Bauhinia, Ditsidi, Ganu, Gami, Lai, Litam-mani, Marumama, Morama, Muraki, Ombanui, Otjipiva, Ozombanui, Rama, Tammani, Tsi/tsin, Ts''hi

References (40)

• Akinola, R., et al, 2020, A Review of Indigenous Food Crops in Africa and the Implications for more Sustainable and Healthy Food Systems. Sustainability 2020, 12, 3493;
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 55 (As Bauhinia bainesii and Bauhinia esculenta)
• Dakora, F. D., 2013, Biogeographic Distribution, Nodulation and Nutritional Attributes of Underutilized Indigenous Agrican Legumes. Acta Horticulturae Number 979 Vol. 1. p 53
• Engelter, C. & Wehmeyer, A. S., 1970, Fatty Acid Composition of Oils of Some Edible Seeds of Wild Plants. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 18(1): 25-26 (As Bauhinia esculenta)
• Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 66 (As Tylosema esculentum)

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