Mung bean
Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek
The mung bean (Vigna radiata) is a legume grown for its small green seeds, used in sweet soups, sticky rice, cakes and as bean sprouts; it originated in India and is cultivated across Asia.
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Mung bean — Sprouts (product)Mung bean — Plant
Mung bean — Plant & pods
Mung bean — Pod
Mung bean — Pods (dried & open)
Mung bean — SeedsMung bean — Sprouts (product)Mung bean — PlantOverview
An annual herb, erect in cultivation (about 50 cm) or twining, generally 15–125 cm tall. The leaves are ternate (three leaflets), hairy on both sides, 6–12 cm long and 5–10 cm broad. Yellow-green flowers are borne in racemes in the leaf axils. The fruit is a slender, hairy, cylindrical pod containing many small seeds; the seeds are about 2–4 mm across with a green coat, a yellow interior and a central embryo. The roots bear nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
The mung bean was domesticated in the Indian subcontinent and is grown throughout South, East and Southeast Asia; the English word 'mung' derives from the Hindi 'mūṅg'. In Vietnam, mung bean is a familiar pulse used in sweet soups ('chè'), sticky rice, mung-bean cakes ('bánh đậu xanh'), 'bánh khọt' and glass noodles; the seeds are also sprouted into bean sprouts, a vegetable rich in vitamin C. Mung-bean seeds are rich in protein, fibre, folate (B9), manganese and magnesium. Thanks to nitrogen fixation, mung bean is grown in rotation to improve the soil and as animal feed; it can be harvested within 60–90 days.
Life cycle
From seed to productGermination (sprouts)
Seeds are soaked and sprouted into bean sprouts, rich in vitamin C.
Plant & leaves
An erect annual herb (cultivated) about 50 cm tall, sometimes twining; leaves are ternate and hairy.
Flowering & young pods
Yellow-green flowers grow in the leaf axils; the pods are slender, cylindrical and hairy.
Ripe seeds
Small seeds 2–4 mm with a green coat and yellow interior, with the embryo in the middle.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- South Asia (India — origin)30%
- East Asia · Southeast Asia30%
- Middle East · Africa15%
- Grown worldwide25%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- CarbohydrateMain energy source of the seed45%
- ProteinFairly high plant protein25%
- Dietary fibreRich in fibre18%
- Folate (B9), manganese, magnesiumTrace minerals and vitamins7%
- Other vitamins & mineralsVitamin B1, phosphorus, iron, potassium5%
Uses
- Seeds cooked in sweet soups, sticky rice, mung-bean cakes and 'bánh khọt'; ground into mung-bean vermicelli
- Sprouted into bean sprouts — a vegetable rich in vitamin C
- Fixes nitrogen to improve soil and in rotation; animal feed; mung-bean flour
Properties
- Stem
- Herbaceous, erect or twining, 15–125 cm
- Leaf
- Ternate, hairy on both sides
- Flower
- Yellow-green, in leaf axils
- Fruit
- Slender hairy cylindrical pod
Habitat & conservation
A tropical and subtropical crop favouring warmth, fairly drought-tolerant, needing well-drained soil; its growth cycle is short (60–90 days). In Vietnam it is commonly grown in the summer–autumn and winter seasons in the lowlands and midlands.
Conservation
Not Evaluated on the IUCN Red List. The mung bean is widely cultivated across Asia and many parts of the world and is not threatened.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Vigna radiata (L.) R. Wilczek — Kew Science, 2026
- 2Mung bean (Vigna radiata) — mô tả, dinh dưỡng, sử dụng — English Wikipedia, 2026
- 3Đậu xanh — đặc điểm, giá trị dinh dưỡng, cách dùng — Vietnamese Wikipedia, 2026
- 4FAOSTAT — Crops and livestock products (pulses) — FAO, 2024
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Judgefloro (Public domain) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Yahya (CC BY-SA 4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Sanjay Acharya / Tremoço (CC BY-SA 3.0/4.0) — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: Ivar Leidus / pics_pd (CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC0) — Wikimedia Commons,