The ruby moon hyacinth bean is as enchanting as it sounds. It grows pretty fast and produces gorgeous blue and purple flower trusses along with shiny, vibrantly colored purple pods.
While they aren’t the most popular plants in the United States, certain parts of Asia use them for food. However, they need to be prepared properly to avoid their naturally toxic effects!
In this article, we’ll go over the features of the hyacinth bean ruby moon, its cultivation methods, and what you can use it for! Let’s dive in.
All About the Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean
This stunning hyacinth bean is used as an ornament because of its beauty. It’s native to Africa and is also called Dolichos lablab.
Its blooming clusters of blue and violet flowers look a lot like wisteria. The glossy purple seed pods set against its dark green leaves add to its charm.
Purple Stems
What sets the hyacinth bean ruby moon plant apart is its stems which are deep purple in color. They jut out from vines that grow at great speeds and can climb over trellises to create an amazing, wild, and beautiful look.
From the deep purple stems, dark green leaves branch out and develop pretty purple flowers. Since it’s a vine, it can grow just about anywhere with the right support.
Magenta Pods
What’s incredibly special about this plant is the glossy magenta pods that accompany its flowers and green leaves. The magenta pods are the reason why this plant is called a hyacinth bean.
Hyacinth beans come in many varieties and serve as the fruit of this plant. The legume pod varies in shape, size, and color. It is one of the most distinctive features of the hyacinth bean ruby moon. The pod contains seeds that can be white, red, black, or brown depending on cultivation.
Conditions Required To Plant Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean
The hyacinth bean ruby moon plant needs certain conditions for plant growth. Though they are cultivated in many different parts of the world, these beans do well in the heat as African plants.
Loads of heat, summer sun, and a warm climate are what the hyacinth bean ruby moon loves. It will start flower production around mid-summer and will continue doing so until autumn frost.
They can be kept in either full sunlight or partially shaded areas. They aren’t too fussy when it comes to watering. An inch of water once a week should be enough for these lovely flowers to bloom. If it’s particularly dry, a little more water wouldn’t hurt.
Perfect for the novice gardener, they are drought-tolerant and don’t have many issues with diseases.
Understanding the Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean
The hyacinth bean ruby moon is a vine. It does well with trellises, teepees, or any type of support that it can grow around.
The dark green leaves, purple stems, violet and blue flowers along with ornamental bean pods are what makes this plant so special.
People all over the world use these plants as ornaments because of their perennial nature. Once they germinate, these mounding vines can do well in the cold and look just as good in containers as they do draped across your walls.
Even though these plants can be very toxic to consume, many cultures have found a way to prepare them to make them edible! Its edible flowers can be eaten raw or steamed while the pods (or the “beans”) need to be boiled properly before consumption.
Be warned though: if not properly boiled, fresh beans contain a trypsin inhibitor that can be very dangerous if eaten. The pods contain cyanogenic glucoside, a toxic antimicrobial plant compound that tastes bitter and helps protect the plant against herbivorous animals that dare eat them.
Benefits of the Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean
Once boiled and drained several times, you can safely eat the hyacinth bean ruby moon. Even with the long cooking time, these tasty beans that can be quite very versatile.
- The leaves can be eaten fresh or dried, and contain protein, fiber, minerals, and fat! They’re great to use as vessels to stuff other food in.
- Fresh and immature beans are a great source of protein too.
Can You Grow These Beans at Home and How?
So, how can you grow this gorgeous plant? It’s certainly a cheap and easy way to spruce up the look of your home. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to grow a long-winding bean vine that you can be proud of!
With minimal soil requirements and very little maintenance, let’s get into what it takes to grow the hyacinth bean ruby moon vine at home.
- Wait for late spring or summer. Temperatures above 50° F are perfect for the germination of these dried seeds.
- For soil, loam will work. But these vines aren’t fussy, getting some fertile soil from your local nursery should be enough.
- Soak the beans overnight to boost the germination process.
- Once soaked, plant the seeds an inch and a half deep into the moist soil.
- Keep them watered. An inch of water every week or twice a week should be enough.
- These plants love heat and sunshine but they also do well in partial shade.
Where Can You Buy Ruby Moon Hyacinth Bean
These gorgeous vines are widely available in most nurseries and online botanical stores. Take a look at True Leaf Market and Botanical Interests if you want to buy hyacinth bean ruby moon seeds.
Ruby Moon Hyacinth Beans Are Beautiful and Easy to Grow!
We hope this article gave you an overview of these amazing vines. The hyacinth bean ruby moon works well as a decorative plant while its color palette can provide a dramatic and attractive contrast when inserted in bouquets.
Even better, you don’t even have to be a master gardener to grow these spectacular vines. Just give them lots of warmth, a nice vine to climb on, and occasional watering to enjoy its dark green leaves and purple-blue flowers.
As long as they’re cooked properly, they’re an amazing source of protein too!
Next, visit my bean plant page to learn more about all things bean, legume, and seed related!