Black bean

Black bean is the name of either of the two varieties of a plant that bears small black seeds for which it is cultivated. One is a variety of soyabean, fermented and used in Asian cooking, and the other is a Mexican variety of string bean. The dried black seeds are used as vegetables and also called black beans.

There are also two other Australian plants of the pea family known by this name. One is a large tree, bears red or yellow flowers, and yields dark beanlike seeds. It also known for its hard and decorative wood. Its botanical name is Castanospermum australe, and it belongs to the family Leguminosae. Another is a liana, a long stemmed woody vine that bears blackish flowers. Its botanical name is Kennedia nigricans, and it belongs to the family Leguminosae.