Purple Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus)

General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit:	Herb/Forb Vine
Life cycle:	Perennial
Sun Requirements:	Full Sun Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences:	Mesic
Soil pH Preferences:	Slightly acid (6.1 – 6.5) Neutral (6.6 – 7.3) Slightly alkaline (7.4 – 7.8)
Minimum cold hardiness:	Zone 9b -3.9 °C (25 °F) to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
Plant Height:	Trails and climbs 6 to 25 feet.
Plant Spread:	3-6 feet
Leaves:	Deciduous
Fruit:	Other: 2-5 inch long purple to reddish-purple legume pod, each pod containing 2 to 4 seeds which can be white, cream, pale brown, dark brown, red, black, or mottled.
Fruiting Time:	Late summer or early fall
Flowers:	Showy Fragrant
Flower Color:	Lavender Pink Purple White Bi-Color: Pink and white
Bloom Size:	Under 1"
Flower Time:	Summer Late summer or early fall
Uses:	Cooked greens
Edible Parts:	Leaves Roots Fruit Flowers
Eating Methods:	Cooked
Dynamic Accumulator:	Nitrogen fixer
Wildlife Attractant:	Bees Butterflies Hummingbirds
Resistances:	Humidity tolerant Drought tolerant
Toxicity:	Fruit is poisonous Other: Leaves and flowers can be eaten raw or cookde. Roots are edible after being boiled or baked. The beans and pods are said to only be edible after boiling with several changes of water to remove the poisonous glycosides.
Propagation: Seeds:	Needs specific temperature: 65ºF to 85ºF Days to germinate: 5 to 14 days Sow in situ Other info: Sometimes self-seeds
Pollinators:	Various insects
Containers:	Suitable in 3 gallon or larger Needs excellent drainage in pots

Common names

Purple Hyacinth Bean
Dolichos Bean
Australian Pea
Indian Bean
Tonga Bean

Botanical names

Accepted: Lablab purpureus
Synonym: Dolichos lablab

Photo Gallery

Location: Willow Street, Pennsylvania
Date: 2023-09-01

Uploaded by csandt

Location: IL
Date: 2009-09-14
Thought this was so pretty with the late afternoon sun backlighti

Uploaded by molanic

Location: Barsons Greenhouse, Westland, Michigan
Date: 2019-08-19

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2009-08-22

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by molanic

Date: 2013-05-26
Flowering bloom visible, focus is the leaf.

Uploaded by Fleur569

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: RHS Hyde Hall, Essex, UK.
Date: 2022-08-22

Uploaded by RachaelHunter

Location: Kyle, Texas
Date: 2017-09-21
Fast growing and heavy bloomer

Uploaded by christinereid54

Uploaded by vbprog

Location: My backyard
Date: August 27, 2010
Blooms and Seedpods of Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine

Uploaded by plantladylin

Location: Jersey City, NJ
Date: 2014-08-19
community garden

Uploaded by skylark

Uploaded by Samlav

Location: Roberta Georgia
Date: August
with humming bird

Uploaded by stone

Uploaded by RachaelHunter

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by vic

Location: central Illinois
Date: summer 2007

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by Moby

Location: Dearborn Heights, MI
Date: 2010-10-04
My Yard

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: Southeast Asia, photo by PlantSister used with permission
Date: 2014-01-24
Seed pods and immature seeds are edible. When mature, the seeds c

Uploaded by greene

Uploaded by Samlav

Uploaded by Samlav

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2014-01-16

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by skylark

Location: western Kentucky
Date: Fall 2010
Hyacinth Bean seedpod

Uploaded by Sharon

Location: Indiana zone 5
Date: 2013-09-09

Uploaded by gardengus

Location: Fort Boonesborough, Boonesborough, KY
Date: 2017-09-14

Uploaded by purpleinopp

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Uploaded by pirl

Location: Ingleside. Illinois
Date: 2021-08-01

Uploaded by antsinmypants

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Brooklyn Botanic Garden
credit: Raffi Kojian

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: IL
Date: 2011-09-02
It ate the arbor over the garden gate.

Uploaded by molanic

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Lebanon, Tennessee
Date: 2014-09-05
Beautiful and distinctive vine providing privacy too!

Uploaded by dls0916

Location: Lebanon, Tennessee
Date: 2014-09-14
Beautiful fall color in flowers and bean pods

Uploaded by dls0916

Location: central Illinois
Date: 10-8-06

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: My back deck
Date: June 6, 2011
Purple Hyacinth Bean Vine

Uploaded by plantladylin

$Date: June 2, 2011 Lablab \"Beans\"$

Uploaded by plantladylin

Location: Jacksonville, TX
Date: Sep 2011

Uploaded by dave

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Fairfax, VA | July, 2022
Date: 2022-07-24

Uploaded by sedumzz

Location: central Illinois
Date: summer 2006

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: My garden in Belgium
Date: 2011-07-02

Uploaded by JonnaSudenius

Uploaded by DaylilySLP

Location: Chippewa, PA
Date: 2015-05-16
New transplant

Uploaded by vbprog

Location: Illinois State University Horticultural Center, Normal, IL
Date: 2010-11-23

Uploaded by BookerC1

Location: Western Kentucky
Date: September 2010
One very ripe seed pod

Uploaded by Sharon

Uploaded by piksihk

Uploaded by Tree_climber

Location: central Illinois
Date: 9-29-09

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by vbprog

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-10-10
Dozens of seedpods

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: central Illinois
Date: 10-8-11

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by jmorth

Uploaded by okus

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-03-12
Less than a week old

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2005-09-06

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-09-10
First flowers

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-09-27
More beautiful early morning blooms

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by amyscoutmom

Location: My backyard
Date: May 2010
Foliage and Blooms

Uploaded by plantladylin

Date: August 2010
Foliage of Lablab purpureus

Uploaded by plantladylin

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-09-18
Unopened flowerbuds

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: Middle Tennessee
Date: 2011-10-13

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Location: West Valley City, UT
Date: 2013-07-16

Uploaded by Zencat

Uploaded by Zencat

Location: Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Date: August
credit: Magnus Manske

Uploaded by robertduval14

Location: Middle Tennessee
Date: 9/7/2011

Uploaded by SongofJoy

Location: Plano, TX
Date: 2013-06-12
Start from seed a couple of months ago

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

Location: central Illinois
Date: 2005-09-08

Uploaded by jmorth

Location: Illinois State University Horticultural Center, Normal, IL
Date: 2010-07-27
This picture really shows how it sends out climbing tendrils, loo

Uploaded by BookerC1

Location: West Valley City, UT
Date: 2013-05-02

Uploaded by Zencat

Uploaded by Zencat

Uploaded by admin

Uploaded by TexasPlumeria87

This plant is tagged in:

Comments:

Posted by Sharon (Calvert City, KY - Zone 7a) on Jan 9, 2012 12:57 AM concerning plant:

This vine surprised me. Here in the heat of western Kentucky most vines die out by the end of July, but not the Purple Hyacinth Bean vine. It seemed to grow and bloom forever, long after the leaves had fallen from the deciduous trees. It's a great vine for covering fences or a trellis quickly, producing purple flowers and those striking electric-purple colored seed pods. Lablab bean is a good choice for a quick screen, though. It grows so fast, has beautiful, fragrant flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds, and it even produces edible leaves, flowers, and roots. Dry seeds are poisonous due to high concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides. I particularly like it because of the numbers of hummingbirds it attracts.

5 replies
Posted by SongofJoy (Clarksville, TN - Zone 6b) on Nov 8, 2011 8:10 AM concerning plant:

HBV begins to bloom mid-summer and produces many seed pods by late Fall. Seeds are numerous and easy to dry and save.

Soak seeds overnight before planting to speed up germination.

Reply to this comment
Posted by plantladylin (Sebastian, Florida - Zone 10a) on Sep 9, 2011 6:11 PM concerning plant:

Purple Hyacinth Bean is a fast growing annual vine with bright purple, bean-like seedpods and pretty pink flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The dried beans contain high concentrations of cyanogenic glucosides and are only edible after prolonged boiling.

Reply to this comment
Posted by Zencat (West Valley City, Utah - Zone 7a) on May 2, 2013 9:01 AM concerning plant:

These took about 10 days to appear.

Reply to this comment

Plant Events from our members
vbprog	On April 18, 2015	Transplanted Put one of them against the garden fence.
vbprog	On March 18, 2015	Plant emerged
vbprog	On March 7, 2015	Seeds sown
vbprog	On October 20, 2014	Obtained plant Received seed from @Evan
lovesblooms	On April 26, 2015	Seeds sown
piksihk	On January 24, 2019	Miscellaneous Event Collected seeds
piksihk	On February 12, 2017	Seeds sown Seeds collected 11/16
antsinmypants	On May 23, 2021	Seeds sown DS in Garden two & in arch garden
dnrevel	On April 9, 2021	Seeds sown Planted 6 more seeds in individual pots, putting in mini-greenhouse. NOTE: needs specific temperature: 65 to 85F to germinate. Days to germinate: 5 to 14
dnrevel	On April 8, 2021	Seeds sown Soaked seeds for 24 hours before planting in small pots and in DT window box tray. NOTE: needs specific temperature: 65 to 85F to germinate. Days to germinate: 5 to 14

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Lablab Purple Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus)

Lablab
Purple Hyacinth Bean (Lablab purpureus)