Vigna unguiculata - Blackeyed Bean

Blackeyed Bean is an annual herb, climbing, erect or suberect, spreading, up to 80 cm or more tall. Stems usually rise up, often tinged with purple, first leaves above cotyledons are simple and opposite, subsequent trifoliolate. Leaves are alternate, the terminal leaflet often bigger and longer than the two asymmetrical laterals, petiole, stout, grooved, 5-15 cm long. Leaflets are ovoid-rhombic, entire or slightly lobed, tip pointed, 6.5-16 cm long, 4-11 cm wide, lateral leaflets oblique. Flowers are in borne in 2-4-flowered clusters in leaf axils, crowded, near tips on short curved peduncles 2.5-15 cm long. Sepal cup is bell-shaped with triangular teeth. Flowers are dull white, yellow, or violet with standard petal 2-3 cm in diameter, keel truncate. Pods are curved, straight or coiled. Seeds are 2-12 mm long, round to kidney-shaped, smooth or wrinkled, red, black, brown, green buff or white, as dominant color, black-eyed. Blackeyed Bean is native to Africa, clutivated world-wide for food.