Edible Plants of the World

Java bean, Foetid Cassia

A tropical plant. It grows throughout the tropics. It is mostly a weed of roadsides and waste places. It grows from sea level to 2,000 m altitude. In Papua New Guinea it grows at about 80 m altitude. It grows along rivers and near lakes. In Africa it grows up to 1,700 m altitude. It can grow in arid places.

Also known as:

Ajada, Bamdisa, Brusca cimarrona, Brusca hembra, Charamazca, Cheporon, Coffeeweed, Danfurindo, Djambaduro, Ebisu-gusa, Eedo, Elekmari, Emang, Emany, Gelenggang kechil, Gelenggang nasi, Gelenggang sayor, Kalahan, Ketepeng, Kilikili, Lapirondyek, Low senna, Luga, Luge, Matapasto, Mpala-ntanga, Muong la-ta, Nachanocu, Ombokodriek, Oyado, Palapantin, Pintcheira-do-mato, Pumaria, Riyer, Sicklepod, Tafasa, Tchunta, Thakara, Ubangue, Ulodje

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Java bean grow?

Found in: Africa, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial-Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guiana, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Africa, North America, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Reunion, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Socotra, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, S Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Notes: There are 100 Cassia species. This group has been revised to a smaller more consistent group. Also as Caesalpinaceae.

Status: It is not known if they are used in Papua New Guinea. It is cultivated as a vegetable. Young leaves, flowers and seeds are commonly eaten in some places.

Growing Java bean, Foetid Cassia

Cultivation: It can be grown from seed.

Edible Uses: The young leaves are cooked and used as a vegetable. Caution: Older leaves can cause diarrhoea. The leaves are fermented into a high protein supplement to meat. The juice during fermentation is made into a stew with okra, beef and salt. The seeds are occasionally dried and ground into powder and cooked and eaten. Caution: The seeds are possibly poisonous and should be well cooked. Seeds are also roasted and used as a coffee substitute.

Production: The tender leaves are plucked off the plant.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Seeds - - - - - -
Leaves 60 5.6 5.9 - 113 - 79.7

References

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