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Bay-bean

Canavalia rosea

Family: Fabaceae Genus: Canavalia Species: rosea

Synonyms: Canavalia miniata, Canavalia moneta, Rhynchosia rosea, Dolichos obtusifolius, Canavalia baueriana, Canavalia obtusifolia var. emarginatus, Glycine rosea, Canavalia emarginata, Canavalia apiculata, Dolichos emarginatus, Dolichos roseus, Canavalia arenicola, Dolichos rotundifolius, Canavalia obcordata, Canavalia rutilans, Canavalia obtusifolia, Canavalia maritima, Dolichos obovatus, Dolichos miniatus, Dolichos obcordatus, Dolichos littoralis, Dolichos maritimus, Mucuna rutilans, Canavalia podocarpa, Clitoria rotundifolia, Dolichos ovalifolius

Bay-bean (en)
Canavalia rosea — flower
Canavalia rosea — flower

Botanical Description

Canavalia rosea, commonly known as bay-bean, beach bean or seaside jackbean, is a robust trailing or twining perennial herb in the family Fabaceae found on tropical and subtropical sandy beaches throughout the world. Long prostrate stems trail several meters along the sand, rooting at the nodes and helping to stabilize dunes. The leaves are alternate and trifoliolate, with thick fleshy elliptic to obovate leaflets 5 to 15 centimeters long that are tolerant of salt spray and intense sun. Showy pink to rose-purple pea flowers are borne in erect axillary racemes well above the foliage from spring through autumn. The fruit is a stout flattened pod 8 to 15 centimeters long containing four to eight large smooth brown bean-like seeds. The species is pantropical, often the most conspicuous legume on the upper beach, and reproduces both vegetatively and by buoyant sea-dispersed seeds.

Native Region: Aldabra, Andaman Is., Angola, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bismarck Archipelago, Borneo, Brazil North, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, Burkina, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Provinces, Caroline Is., Cayman Is., Central American Pac, China Southeast, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Florida, French Guiana, Gabon, Galápagos, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gulf of Guinea Is., Guyana, Hainan, Haiti, Honduras, India, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jawa, Kazan-retto, Kenya, Kermadec Is., KwaZulu-Natal, Laos, Leeward Is., Lesser Sunda Is., Liberia, Madagascar, Malaya, Maldives, Mali, Maluku, Marianas, Marquesas, Marshall Is., Mauritius, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel I, Myanmar, Nansei-shoto, Nauru, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New South Wales, Nicaragua, Nicobar Is., Nigeria, Norfolk Is., Northern Territory, Panamá, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Is., Puerto Rico, Queensland, Rodrigues, Réunion, Samoa, Santa Cruz Is., Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Society Is., Solomon Is., Somalia, South China Sea, Southwest Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Sulawesi, Sumatera, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Texas, Thailand, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad-Tobago, Tubuai Is., Turks-Caicos Is., Vanuatu, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vietnam, Wallis-Futuna Is., Western Australia, Windward Is., Zaïre

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

None Documented

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID
43940

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

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