Dolichos Biflorus, Horsegram - 0.5 kg Seeds

Horse gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum, syn. Dolichos biflorus) is a fast-growing annual trailing or twining legume with slender stems, trifoliate leaves and small yellowish flowers followed by short curved pods of hard, mottled seeds. It is a hardy, short-duration pulse crop.

The protein-rich seeds are an important food pulse and a traditional Ayurvedic remedy, notably for kidney and urinary stones, while the whole plant is valued as fodder, green manure and a soil-improving nitrogen-fixing cover crop. Exceptionally drought-hardy, it succeeds on poor, shallow soils. In India it is grown as a rainfed dryland crop across the Deccan, southern and central regions.

• Family: Fabaceae
• Native region: Indian subcontinent
• Mature height: Trailing herb, 0.3–0.6 m
• Growth rate: Fast

The seeds germinate readily and usually need no pre-treatment, though an overnight soak speeds emergence on dry soils. Direct-sow them about 2–3 cm deep in prepared, well-drained soil with the onset of the rains; germination is rapid, typically 3–7 days. Keep the seedbed moist until the plants establish, after which the crop tolerates dry spells well.