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Scientific Name:
Phaseolus vulgaris
Pronunciation:
FAZ-ee-oh-lus
Common Name:
common bean, black bean, kidney bean, pinto bean, French bean
Family Name:
Fabaceae
Plant Type:
Annual, Vine or climber
Key ID Features:
Leaves alternate with three oval, leaflets with entire margins, 6-15cm long; flowers white, pink, or purple, about 1cm long; legumes green, yellow, black, or purple, 8-20cm long x 1-1.5cm wide, each containing 4-6 kidney-shaped beans up to 1.5cm long.

Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Creeping / Mat-like, Irregular
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
2 - 3m
Growth Rate:
Fast
Origin:
Central America, South America
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun, Part sun/part shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Landscape Uses:
Urban agriculture
Additional Info:

Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Compound
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Compound Leaf:
Trifoliate (ternate)
Colour in Summer:
Green, Dark-green, Purple
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Rounded
Margins:
Entire

Inflorescence Type:
Raceme
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
5
Corolla Shape:
Bilabiate
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Orange, Violet, Purple, Pink
Flower Time at Peak:
Jun, Jul, Aug

Fruit Type:
Legume
Fruit Colour:
Green
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep

Bark or Stem Colour:
Organ Modifications:
Root nodules (N-fixing), Storage tap root, Tendrils, Twining stems
Other:
Companion plants: celery, beet.
Pest Susceptibility:
Anthracnose, Aphids or adelgids, Bacterial leaf spot, Beetles or weevils, Leafhopper or spittlebug, Mildew, Mold, Virus
Specific Pests:
Rabbits

Course(s):
  • not used (on campus)
Location(s):
  • (CGW)  Community Garden West : P. coccineus, P. vulgaris
  • (FEA)  Field lab Equipment Area
Location Map