Sem / Hyacinth Bean
Lablab purpureus
Also known as Lablab Bean, Bonavist Bean, Indian Butter Bean
- Habit
- Climber
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka & more
- Flowering
- October-February
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Lablab purpureus
- Genus
- Lablab
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Habit
- Climber
- Distribution
- Tropics of the World
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, West Bengal, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Manipur, Nagaland, Puducherry, Uttarakhand
- Flowering & fruiting
- October-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Trifoliate (three leaflets)recorded
- Leaf surface
- Glabrous (smooth, hairless)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sem itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- PurplerecordedPurple or violet
- Flower arrangement
- RacemerecordedIndividual stalked flowers arranged along a central stem, opening from bottom to top.“The inflorescence is made up of racemes of many flowers.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Fruit type
- LegumerecordedA dry pod that splits open along two seams (typical of the pea/bean family).“The fruit is a legume pod variable in shape, size, and color.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Zygomorphic (bilaterally symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Raceme
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Sem itself; the rest are typical of the Fabaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- Bhatvas, Shimi, सेम Sem
- Nepali
- राज सिमी Raaj Simee, टाटे सिमी Taate Simee, सिमी Simee
- Bengali
- Rajashimbi, শিম
- Tamil
- அவரை Avarai, Motchai, அவரை
- Telugu
- Chikkudu, Adavichikkudu, Alsanda, బొబ్బరలు
- Kannada
- capparada-avare, avare, avare baele
- Malayalam
- Amara, Avara, അമര
- Marathi
- Anvare, Kadavebaala, pandhre pavate
Sem in India
Hyacinth bean, known as Bhatvas (Hindi), அவரை Avarai (Tamil), Chikkudu (Telugu), capparada-avare (Kannada), Amara (Malayalam), Anvare (Marathi), is a widely grown bean crop and ornamental climber. Lablab purpureus is cultivated across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Kerala, Rajasthan, often trained up fences or trellises.
Uses
The young flat pods are cooked as a vegetable (sem ki sabzi), and the mature dried seeds are also cooked as a pulse once soaked — both common in North and East Indian kitchens.
How to Identify Sem
A vigorous twining perennial vine, usually grown as an annual, with broad trifoliate leaves. Flowers are pea-shaped, white to purple, carried on upright stalks above the foliage, followed by broad, flattened pods that are often tinged deep purple, though green-podded varieties are also common.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Hyacinth Bean called in different Indian languages?
- Bhatvas (Hindi); அவரை Avarai (Tamil); Chikkudu (Telugu); capparada-avare (Kannada); Amara (Malayalam); Anvare (Marathi); Rajashimbi (Bengali).
- Is sem the same as hyacinth bean?
- Yes — sem is the Hindi name for Lablab purpureus, called hyacinth bean or lablab bean in English.
- Are the purple pods a different variety from the green ones?
- Yes — pod colour varies by cultivar; both purple- and green-podded types are the same species and are cooked the same way.
Fabaceae
Legume/Bean family
Sem belongs to the Fabaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
All plant problem & care guides →More in Fabaceae
View all Fabaceae →Sources: GBIF — Lablab purpureus (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Lablab purpureus (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)