What is "winged bean"

n. A tropical legume, (taxlink Psophocarpus tetragonolobus species noshow=1), having clusters of purple flowers and pods with four jagged wings

n. tuberous-rooted twining annual vine bearing clusters of purplish flowers and pods with four jagged wings; Old World tropics [syn: winged pea, goa bean, goa bean vine, Manila bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus]

The winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), also known as the Goa bean, four-angled bean, four-cornered bean, Manila bean, Mauritius bean, is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea.

It grows abundantly in hot, humid equatorial countries, from the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Myanmar, Malaysia , Thailand and Sri Lanka. It is widely known, yet grown on a small scale in Southeast Asia and Papua New Guinea. Winged bean is well-recognized by farmers and consumers in the Asian region for its variety of uses and disease tolerance. Winged bean is nutrient-rich, and all parts of the plant are edible. Leaves can be eaten like spinach, flowers can be used in salads, tubers can be eaten raw or cooked, seeds can be used in similar ways as the soybean. The winged bean is an underutilized species but has the potential to become a major multi-use food crop in the tropics of Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The winged bean is a species that belongs to the genus Psophocarpus, a genus of 6-9 varying species. Species in the Psophocarpus genus are perennial herbs grown as annuals. Species in the Psophocarpus species are capable of climbing by twining their stems around a support. Species in the Psophocarpus genus have tuberous roots and pods with wings.