Bead-bean

A tropical plant. It grows in low altitude wooded grassland. It occurs in savannah regions. It grows in the Sahel. In Ethiopia it grows from sea level to 1,000 m altitude. In Zimbabwe it grows up to 1,500 m above sea level. It is drought tolerant. It can grow in arid places. It often grows in termite mounds.

Also known as:

Azar, Belaya, Bele-bele, Chichiwa, Chichiwe, Ciciwa, Dunibiayito, Edioli, Fumba, Ibiswa, Kadhii, Kaikai, Kelkelo, Kurmut, Litashi, Melamissa, Moratletia, Morraita, Mtaji, Mugesi, Mureri, Pudodigo, Raneran, Rauran, Sekileli'a, Umenwayo, Umfusamvu, Umumeno, Umvitsi, Uphokophokwane, Zilgo

Synonyms

Maerua schinzii (sensu Grivetti)

Edible Portion

Leaves, Roots, Fruit, Seeds, Vegetable

Where does Bead-bean grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, Rwanda, Sahel, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, West Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 50-100 Maerua species. They are mostly in Africa.

Status: The fruit are eaten especially by children.

Growing Bead-bean

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed.

Edible Uses: The young leaves are boiled and eaten. They are usually mixed with beans or corn and eaten. The leaves can be bitter and are used as a sauce with other foods. The roots are used in porridges and as a famine food.

Production: The leaves are harvested by climbing the trees.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Iron (mg)	Vitamin A (ug)	Vitamin c (mg)	Zinc (mg)	% Water
Leaves raw	60	5.4	-	-	-	-	80

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