DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan

 Lab·lab n. Bot. an East Indian name for several twining leguminous plants related to the bean, but commonly applied to the hyacinth bean (Dolichos Lablab).
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 Bean n.
 1. Bot. A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs.
 Note: ☞ The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful.  Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean, Dolichos Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the lower bush bean, Phaseolus vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Phaseolus multiflorus; Windsor bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris.
 As an article of food beans are classed with vegetables.
 2. The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans.
 Bean aphis Zool., a plant louse (Aphis fabæ) which infests the bean plant.
 Bean fly Zool., a fly found on bean flowers.
 Bean goose Zool., a species of goose (Anser segetum).
 Bean weevil Zool., a small weevil that in the larval state destroys beans.  The American species is Bruchus fabæ.
 Florida bean Bot., the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian plant. The seeds are washed up on the Florida shore, and are often polished and made into ornaments.
 Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean Bot., a species of Strychnos.
 Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce; probably so called because an important article of food in the navy.
 Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible white bean; -- so called from its size.
 Sacred bean. See under Sacred.
 Screw bean. See under Screw.
 Sea bean. (a) Same as Florida bean. (b) A red bean of unknown species used for ornament.
 Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx odorata, a leguminous tree.
 Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.
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 Hy·a·cinth n.
 1. Bot. (a) A bulbous plant of the genus Hyacinthus, bearing beautiful spikes of fragrant flowers. Hyacinthus orientalis is a common variety. (b) A plant of the genus Camassia (Camassia Farseri), called also Eastern camass; wild hyacinth. (c) The name also given to Scilla Peruviana, a Mediterranean plant, one variety of which produces white, and another blue, flowers; -- called also, from a mistake as to its origin, Hyacinth of Peru.
 2. Min. A red variety of zircon, sometimes used as a gem. See Zircon.
 Hyacinth bean Bot., a climbing leguminous plant (Dolichos Lablab), related to the true bean. It has dark purple flowers and fruit.
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 Dolichos lablab
      n : perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having
          trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pealike
          flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as
          an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian
          subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos [syn: hyacinth
          bean, bonavist, Indian bean, Egyptian bean, Lablab
          purpureus]