These are my last Lablab purpureus seeds. These plants have been a long time coming. I searched for them several springs before I ordered seeds off the internet that turned out to be a close cousin to Kudzu. I finally found a package in person at a reputable garden center from a trusted company. The common name is Hyacinth Bean ‘Ruby Moon.’

I am aware that flowers and leaves use the sun’s energy for photosynthesis and heat. I have seen fields of flowers turning their faces as the sun crosses the sky. I have never witnessed such an obvious example of this in seedlings until I witnessed it on this very day on the deck of my own house.

The first seeds went in the ground. Only one germinated. It seems to be waiting for something to happen. It is still a tiny, deformed sprout. I will allow it to continue its struggles.

Next, I soaked some more seeds and started them in small pots. These are now in a big pot climbing their trellis. I fear they will need more space eventually.

These last beans are my shot at getting a stand in the ground. I admit to hovering over this tiny, shallow terra cotta pot. It could dry out within hours. Because of this helicopter parenting, I noticed the leaves in the afternoon were flat like little umbrellas. Then at sunset they were tilted with their surface area facing west.

It amazes me how much information is programmed into a seed’s DNA. There are no mama plants ordering them to face east, stand up straight and bend west as the sun descends.

This is an adaptation called tropism that may have given the Lablabs an advantage over other vines…such as Kudzu perhaps?

FLOW