Canavalia rosea is a species of flowering plant of the genus Canavalia in the pea family of Fabaceae, it has a pantropical and subtropical distribution in upper beaches, cliffs, and dunes.[1] Common names include beach bean, bay bean, sea bean, greater sea bean, seaside jack-bean, coastal jack-bean, and MacKenzie bean.[1]
Coastal jack-bean is a trailing, herbaceous vine that forms mats of foliage. Stems reach a length of more than 6m (20feet) and 2.5cm (01inches) in thickness. Each compound leaf is made up of three leaflets 3- in diameter, which will fold themselves when exposed to hot sunlight. It is highly salt-tolerant and prefers sandy soils.[1]
The flowers are purplish pink and 2.5- long, they hang upside down from long stalks and produce a sweet smell. The flat pods are straight or a little curved 6- long, their skin become prominently ridged as they mature. Each pod has between 2–10 brown seeds. The seeds are buoyant so they can be distributed by ocean currents.[1] The plant seems to contain L-Betonicine. The Canavalia rosea plant fruits and blooms all year longhttps://www.fnps.org/plant/canavalia-rosea.
Young seeds and pods are edible especially after boiling. The flowers can be made into a spice.