What is "hyacinth bean"

Hyacinth \Hy"a*cinth\, n. [L. hyacinthus a kind of flower, prob. the iris, gladiolus, or larkspur, also a kind of gem, perh. the sapphire; as, a proper name, Hyacinthus, a beautiful Laconian youth, beloved by Apollo, fr. Gr. ?, ?: cf. F. hyacinthe. Cf. Jacinth. The hyacinth was fabled to have sprung from the blood of Hyacinthus, who was accidentally slain by Apollo.]

1. (Bot.)

   1. A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. Hyacinthus orientalis is a common variety.

   2. A plant of the genus Camassia ( Camassia Farseri), called also Eastern camass; wild hyacinth.

   3. The name also given to Scilla Peruviana, a Mediterranean plant, one variety of which produces white, and another blue, flowers; -- called also, from a mistake as to its origin, Hyacinth of Peru.

2. (Min.) A red variety of zircon, sometimes used as a gem. See Zircon.

   Hyacinth bean (Bot.), a climbing leguminous plant ( Dolichos Lablab), related to the true bean. It has dark purple flowers and fruit.

n. A climbing leguminous plant ((taxlink Lablab purpureus species noshow=1)), related to the true bean. It has dark purple flowers and fruit.

n. perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pealike flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos [syn: bonavist, Indian bean, Egyptian bean, Lablab purpureus, Dolichos lablab]