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nchomegarden

What is this?

15 years ago

I have this growing in my garden. Can someone identify this? Is it edible? There arent any significant pods inside.
{{gwi:1034701}}From 2010 - Flowers

And the leaves on the plant look like this-

{{gwi:1034702}}From 2010 - Flowers

Comments (8)

  • 15 years ago

    My guess would be Sword Bean. More info & comparative photos in the thread below. The flowers would be fragrant, and the dry seeds very large & reddish (similar in appearance to large favas). The vines can become extremely long, especially if allowed to get up a tree.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Sword beans

  • 15 years ago

    That's a bean pod of some sort. Very edible I would guess. I'm pretty sure I see a bean bush or vine in that picture. But I think there are two plants there as well. The plant with leaves that flare out widely at their base and come to a point at the tip are bean plants. I don't know what the other plant in the picture is. Looks like some sort of woody shrub.
    At least that's the way I see it.

  • 15 years ago

    tcstoehr - just a word of caution. I think everyone would agree that these are beans of some sort but I wouldn't suggest any unidentified bean to be 'very edible' unless we are sure of the id. Even some that are edible require specific cooking methods to make them safe.

  • 15 years ago

    Well, Flora, your point is well taken but if I was sure of the id then I wouldn't have said that I was guessing. I think we all know what the word "guess" implies.

  • 15 years ago

    I think we all have guesses on this sort of thing, but guesses aren't of much help unless they are supported with reasons of some kind. I'm often tempted to offer a guess, but I try to resist that urge unless I can offer helpful supporting data of some kind.

    Not criticizing, just suggesting. I hope this discussion doesn't acrimonious.

    Jim

  • 15 years ago

    I find guesses are helpful in the absence of any better information. Just like zeedman's guess posted earlier that it was a sword bean. As long as it is presented as such.

  • 15 years ago

    I wouldn't guess that an unknown plant was edible, but if you would, you go first. :D

  • 15 years ago

    Given that there are many toxic legumes, I agree with Flora... assume that an unknown plant is toxic until it has been positively identified as edible.

    My "guess" was an informed one, since I grew Sword Bean last year (as stated in the thread I linked earlier). The photo at the end of that thread closely resembles the pods in the original post. At the very least, I am fairly certain that it is some member of the genus Canavalia, which includes both Sword Bean & Jack Bean. The pods of both are similar.

    Hopefully the original poster will chime in with additional information. Given the rarity of the most likely suspects, it seems strange that they would just pop up without having been planted.

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