Cyamopsis senegalensis
Guill. et Perr.
Guar, Cluster Bean
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Barbara Curtis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Barbara Curtis
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) thanti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) thanti, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A bean family herb. It grows 50 cm tall. It is hairy. The leaves have 3-7 leaflets. The leaflets are oblong and usually wider below the middle. They are 5 cm long and 9 mm wide. The flowers are in groups of 5-25. The flowering groups are 12 cm long. The fruit is an erect pod 4-6 cm long. The valves twist as the pod opens. There are 7-9 seeds. The seeds are grey and square. They are 3.5 mm long and flattened.
Edible Uses
The leaves are eaten.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows up to 800 m above sea level in Africa.
Where It Grows
Africa, Arabia, Asia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central Africa, Chad, East Africa, Eritrea, India, Middle East, Senegal, Tanzania,
Notes
There are 2 or 3 Cyamopsis species. It is the probably parent of Guar bean.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Barasan
References (4)
- A. Guillemin et al., Fl. Seneg. tent. 1:171, t. 45. 1832
- Jardin, C., 1970, List of Foods Used In Africa, FAO Nutrition Information Document Series No 2.p 73
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 198
- Terra, G.J.A., 1973, Tropical Vegetables. Communication 54e Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 43
