cowpea plant asparagus bean plant Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. PLANTS:VIUNS2 Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. The asparagus bean (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis) is a legume cultivated to be eaten as green pods. It is known as the yardlong bean, bora, bodi, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, pea bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean. Despite the common name, the pods are actually only about half a yard long; the subspecies name sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long) is a rather accurate approximation of the pods' length. Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. ssp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. subsp. sesquipedalis (L.) Verdc. asparagus bean bodi bora chinese long bean dolichos sesquipedalis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asparagus_bean long-podded cowpea pea bean snake bean tau kok vigna sesquipedalis vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis Vigna unguiculata ready for release