Product Review

Annual. Blooms in summer. 6' to 20' vine. Full sun. Purple stems with dark green leaves and purple flower clusters, followed by eye-catching velvety purple bean pods. Makes an attractive fast growing screen. This exotic tropical looking vine can be grown up arbors, trellises, fences, in hanging baskets, or as a groundcover. It is used as an important forage crop in the tropics. The immature bean pods are edible, but probably not as good tasting as many other garden beans. The purple color will turn green when cooked. Mature bean seeds may be eaten, but they must be boiled and drained at least twice to discard the toxic cyanogenic glucosides. We do not recommend eating them. The common name is misleading, as Hyacinth Beans are not true beans. But, like beans, they are a member of the pea family. The Hyacinth Bean Vine requires well-drained soil to thrive and is much more drought tolerant than other bean varieties.