-ED TYPE : Open Pollinated

PLANT TYPE : Annual

SEED COLOR : White

SOWING TIME: All Season

SOWING METHOD : Directly from Seed

GERMINATION TIME : 5 – 6 Days

GROWING CONTAINER : 12 -16 inch height pot / Garden bed

GROWING MEDIA : 1 part  Garden soil 1 part Cocopeat 1 part Vermicompost

HARVESTING : 90 – 120 Days After Sowing

DESCRIPTION :

Sword beans is a vigorous climbing plant to 10 m tall, with large leaves and pink flowers followed by giant pods to 30 cm long with huge, white seeds inside. These are edible but like all beans, the pods and seeds are toxic when raw and must be soaked and boiled before consumption. Canavalia gladiata is best adapted to tropical climates.

Canavalia gladiata is a perennial, fast-growing, heavily producing, climbing legume. It is widely cultivated in the humid tropics of Southeast Asia, but remains a minor vegetable elsewhere. Plants can reach 10 m in length with a deep, penetrating root system. Leaves are trifoliate, similar to other legumes, with white, butterfly-like flowers also similar to other legumes. Mature pods reach 40 cm in length.

C. gladiata is fast growing. Young pods are available for harvest 3-4 months after planting, before pod swelling occurs. Mature seeds take 5-10 months to mature and the pods will break open, scattering the seeds when fully mature. The dried seeds store well as they are not attractive to insects.

Young green pods and seeds are eaten sparingly as a cooked vegetable, though C. gladiata is most useful as a green manure cover crop. Since it is a vining plant, C. gladiata is usually grown along buildings or other structures. Immature vines and seeds, rich in protein and starch, can be fed to livestock in limited amounts; the level of toxicity increases with maturity of the plant.