Botanical name: Vigna vexillata (L.) A. Rich. - [ (VIG-nuh) named for Prof. Dominico Vigna, 17th century Italian botanist; (vek-see-LAH-tuh) from Latin vexillum - a standard or flag ] Synonyms: Dolichos vexillatus (L.) Kunth • Phaseolus vexillatus L. • Plectrotropis angustifolia Schumach. & Thonn. • Vigna angustifolia (Schum. & Thonn.) Hook. f. • Vigna capensis (Thunb.) Burtt Davy • Vigna capensis Walp. • Vigna dolichoneura Harms • Vigna hirta Hook. • Vigna reticulata auct. non Hook. • Vigna tuberosa A. Richard Family: Fabaceae (pea, or legume family) - [ (fab-AY-see-ay) the Faba (broad bean) family, (formerly Leguminosae) ]

Common names of Vigna vexillata: Chinese: ye jiang dou • English: wild cowpea, wild mung, wild mung bean, zombi pea • French: pois poison, pois zombi • Japanese: fuji sasage • Lao: thwàx phi • Madagascar: Tokambahatsy, Tsiroko • Marathi: हळुंदा Halunda • Sinhalese: Wal-lima • Vietnamese: qua • and, other: aka sasage, bejuco marrullero, chorreque

Zombi pea is a fairly strong twiner, stems usually clothed with spreading silky hairs. It resembles a plant somewhere between a Southern pea and a mung bean. The long trailing vines have narrow pointed bean-like leaves. Pods and seeds resemble mung beans, and the roots are nodulated.

Flowers pink or purplish, turning yellow, pea-like, 2.5 cm long. Because of its tuberous roots rather than its pods, the wild mung is held in fairly high esteem in some parts of the world.

In Africa, the roots are eaten in times of severe hunger. It grows wild in the Himalayas and in the foothills of India. The tubers are soft, easy to peel, and possess a creamy, white, tasty interior. They are eaten boiled or raw. Protein content of the tubers is near the 15% level, which is high compared to the 1-7% for potatoes and yams.

Courtesy: - Flowers of India - Dave's Garden Botanary - EcoPort - ILDIS