Canavalia ensiformis

Canavalia ensiformis (jack bean) is a legume which is used for animal fodder and human nutrition, especially in Brazil where it is called feijão-de-porco ("pig bean"). It is also the source of concanavalin A.

Description

A perennial climber, although short kinds do occur. Often it is a more bushy plant than the sword bean. Plants up to 1.5 m long. Stems can be hairy. Leaves have 3 leaflets. The leaflets are oval and 5.7-20 cm long by 3.2-11.5 cm wide. The leaf tends to be wedge shaped at the base. The leaf stalks are 2.5-11 cm long. Flowers are red/purple. They occur on flower clusters 5-12 cm long and with flower cluster stalks which are 10-34 cm long. The individual flower stalks are 2-5 mm long. Pods are long and sword shaped. Pods can be 15-35 cm long. Seeds are white with a light brown hilum half as long as the seed. Seeds are 2 cm long, by 1 cm across.

Edible Uses

The leaves and top shoots are eaten. Very young pods are boiled and eaten. Flowers are edible. Young seeds are eaten boiled, roasted, peeled and cooked, or fermented. Ripe seeds are roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

Traditional Uses

The leaves and top shoots are eaten. The very young pods are boiled and eaten. The flowers can be eaten. The young seeds are eaten boiled, roasted, or peeled and cooked. The seeds are also fermented. The ripe seeds are roasted and used as a coffee substitute. CAUTION The ripe seeds can contain poison and need to be well cooked and the water changed before eating. They are also often left under running water or fermented.

Medicinal Uses

The plant has medicinal properties.

Known Hazards

Historically, it was used by native tribes for food and forage in droughty regions of Arizona and Mexico. Now, while commonly consumed in Asia and Japan, C. ensiformis seem to be unpopular elsewhere. The beans are mildly toxic, and copious consumption should be avoided. Boiling will, however, remove toxicity if done properly. Young foliage is also edible. The whole plant is used for fodder, although it cannot be used in fodder mixtures containing urea, since it contains large quantities of the enzyme urease, which liberates harmful ammonia from urea. For this reason C. ensiformis has been investigated as a potential source of the urease enzyme. It is also the source of concanavalin A, a lectin used in biotechnology applications, such as lectin affinity chromatography. As a garden plant, it can grow to over 2 metres (6.6 ft), provided it gets enough nutrients, rich soil, sun and warmth. It grows therefore in rich soil, or use extra nutrients, in a sunny warm place.

Distribution

It grows in tropical and subtropical places. It requires a fairly high temperature (15°-30°C). It will possibly grow up to 1,600 m altitude. It is fairly drought resistant and also has some resistance to water-logging and salt in the soil. It can tolerate shade. It can tolerate pH from 4.5 - 8.0 but does best at about 6.1. The optimum mean annual temperature is 14.4°-27.8°C. Seed germinate between 24-27.5°C. It is a short day plant growing well with a daylength of 10-12 hours of sunlight. It can grow in arid places. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marianas, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

It is grown from seeds. Seeds need to be 2 cm deep. A spacing of about 60 cm is suitable. Plants preferably need a support to climb over. It benefits from a fertile soil but adding nitrogen depresses yield.

Propagation

Seed - sow in situ, placing the seeds 2 - 3cm deep in the soil. The seed germinates in about 72 hours.

Other Uses

The plant fixes atmospheric nitrogen and often has a spreading habit. It is cultivated as a cover crop to conserve and fertilize the soil for other crops. The plant is grown as a green manure.

Production

Green pods are produced in 3-4 months, but ripe seeds need 6-9 months. Yield of seeds can range from 700 to 5,400 kg / ha.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. It is being accepted and grown in some coastal and mid altitude areas in Papua New Guinea. Pods are sold in local markets.

Notes

There are about 50 Canavalia species. Chemical composition (acid content) (Nigerian sample): oil = 1%; component esters (wt. %): 16:0 = 17%. 16:1 = 2%. 18:0 = 2%. 18:1 = 49%, 18:2 = 18%. 18:3 = 7%. 20:0 = 1%. 22:0 = 1%. 24:0 = 2%. Reported to have a high Threonine value.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Banchaki, Bara sem, Baran chaki, Bo ba ji noe, Broad Bean, Chickasaw Lima, Cocorico, Cut-Eye, Dau-rua, Dau-tac, Dolique, Fannto, Feijao, Frejol gigante, Frejol machete, Frijol blanco, Frijol cacao, Garde Place, Giant stock-bean, Gotani bean, Gros Pois, Haba de caballo, Habilla, Horse Bean, Jamaican horse bean, Jangala, Kaat thumbuten kai, Kachang parang puteh, Kalongonda, Kangianeteupi, Ladiko, Makhan shim, Mavi, Nkasa zi madeso, One-Eye Bean, Overlook, Pandhri abai, Papanla, Popondo, Prapiey sbaek, Sabre bean, Samkhra, Seaside bean, Sufed kadsumbal, Sword bean, Tamma, Vella tamma, Vellai tambattai, Voavahibe

References (79)

• Jack bean references
• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 31
• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 100
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 205
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 79

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