And what’s a phasey bean when it’s at home?

Well, according to our friends over at ‘AI Overview, “A phasey bean (Macroptilium lathyroides) is a tropical legume in the pea family, known as a wild bean or cowpea, grown for forage or cover crops but also considered an environmental weed in places like Australia due to its aggressive spreading in disturbed soils. It features bright red/purple pea-like flowers, trifoliate (three-leaflet) leaves, and produces narrow seed pods, often growing as an annual but sometimes a short-lived perennial, climbing or trailing.” 

Harrump! Well, I think it’s a pretty little thing.

Its scientific name is Macroptilium lathyroides . Really, where do these scientists get these names from, I wonder. They seem determined to give the prettiest things the ugliest names.

It loves to spread its pretty self all over my brother’s cassava plantation, and he’s forever hacking at it but it keeps coming back.

Pretty and tough. My kind of bean.

What about you, do you weed the phasey bean, or do you leave well enough alone?