Mucuna (itchy bean) flowers

Description:

The flowers of wild Mucuna pruriens in Macossa district of Mozambique. Extremely itchy hairs are produced on the ripe pods and this is why this weed is named "feijo maluco" (crazy bean) or "feijo macaco" (monkey bean). The beans are sometimes consumed (after extremely time-consuming preparation to remove the poison) in times of food scarcity.