Sphenostylis stenocarpa

Sphenostylis stenocarpa, the African yam bean, is a climbing or erect legume native to tropical West and Central Africa, widely cultivated in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon for its nutritious seeds. It produces trifoliate leaves, purple pea-shaped flowers, and narrow elongated pods as its epithet stenocarpa suggests. The seeds are an important protein-rich staple food across West Africa, though they require extended cooking to remove antinutritional factors.