Hyacinth Bean

Did you know

• Thomas Jefferson grew hyacinth bean in his Monticello garden as early as 1812—it's still planted there today exactly as he laid it out, climbing the curved arbors of the kitchen garden.
• The vine produces three things at once: fragrant purple flower clusters, glossy magenta seed pods that look like polished ribbon candy, and edible green beans inside.
• While the green beans and dried beans are an important food across India, China, and Africa, the raw beans contain cyanogenic compounds and must be boiled in two changes of water before eating.
• In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, hyacinth bean is called 'sem' and used to treat colds, inflammation, and digestive complaints—it's been cultivated for at least 3,500 years.
• The vine grows up to a foot per day in warm weather—a bare trellis in June can be a wall of purple flowers and ornamental pods by August.

Color meanings

Uses

• Trellis vine
• Ornamental edibles
• Pollinator gardens
• Privacy screening