Descrição

Known as: Pork Beans

Scientific name: Canavalia ensiformis (L.) DC.

Kg per hectare: 120 kg per hectare.

Family: Fabaceae (Legumosa).

Origin: Of American origin, it is widely cultivated in tropical and equatorial regions.

Utilities: Green Fertilization and erosion control.

Growth: It has erect herbaceous growth, not vine.

Germination time: The germination time is only 15 days. Despite behaving like a kind of discreet vine, it can be conserved as if it were a small shrub, since the branches do not exceed 2 meters.

Dormancy break: No need.

Characteristics: This species is resistant to high temperatures and drought, but does not withstand frost and is tolerant to partial shading. It grows well in acidic soils and adapts to practically all types of soils (clay, sandy), including those poor in phosphorus.

Morphology: It is an annual or biannual, herbaceous, very rustic, creeping legume, showing an erect and determined growth of slow onset, reaching 1.2 m in height and is widely cultivated in tropical countries as a green cover. Its leaves are alternate, trifoliate with large elliptical-oval leaflets, bright dark green in color, with very prominent ribs. Its inflorescences are axillary in large racemes and its flowers are large, with a violet or purple corolla. Its pods are flat, wide and long, leathery, bivalve with longitudinal streaks and have from 4 to 18 seeds. These seeds are large, rounded-oval shaped, white or pinkish with a brownish-colored oblong hilum, surrounded by a brown zone, with a white tongue.