Snake beans

The asparagus bean is a legume cultivated for its edible green pods containing immature seeds, like the green bean. It is also known as yardlong bean, pea bean, long-podded cowpea, Chinese long bean, snake bean, bodi, and bora. Despite the common name of "yardlong", the pods are actually only about half a yard long, so the subspecies name sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long; 1.5 feet (0.50 yd)) is a more accurate approximation. A variety of the cowpea, the asparagus bean is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35 to 75 centimetres (1.15 to 2.46 ft)) immature green pods and has uses very similar to those of the green bean. This plant is in a different genus from the common bean. The different colors of seeds usually distinguish the many varieties. It is a vigorous climbing annual vine. The plant is subtropical/tropical and most widely grown in the warmer parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China. The pods, which can begin to form 60 days (2.0 months) after sowing, hang in groups of two or more. They are used as vegetables when they are picked before they reach full maturity; however, overlooked mature pods can be used like dry beans. When harvesting, it is important not to pick the buds above the beans since the plant will set many more beans on the same stem in the future. The plants take longer to reach maturity than bush beans, but once they start producing, the pods are quick-growing, and daily checking and harvesting are often necessary. In temperate climates, the plants can produce beans until the first frost. The plant attracts many pollinators, specifically various types of wasps and ants.

Source: Wikipedia