1. perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pea-like flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos • Syn: hyacinth bean, bonavist, Egyptian bean, Lablab purpureus, Dolichos lablab • Hypernyms: vine • Member Holonyms: Lablab, genus Lablab 2. tree of the genus Catalpa with large leaves and white flowers followed by long slender pods • Syn: catalpa • Hypernyms: bean tree • Hyponyms: Catalpa bignioides, Catalpa speciosa • Member Holonyms: genus Catalpa