Phaseolus lunatus

Perennial climbing vine reaching 6m tall. Frost-tender, hardy to UK zone 10. Flowers July to September, insect-pollinated. Requires full sun; grows in light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils including nutritionally poor soil, with mildly acid to basic pH. Prefers moist conditions. Fixes nitrogen.

Description

A perennial climbing bean. It is often a tall vigorously climbing plant which can keep growing for some years. The leaves are slightly rounded at the base and pointed at the tip. The flower is white or yellow. The keel of the flower is twisted which helps tell the difference between this bean and Lablab bean. The pods are long (10 cm), flattened and curved and have 3-4 seeds which are very variable in colour. The seeds are large. The seeds have a short round hilum where the seed is attached to the pod. The seeds also have lines going out from this point across the bean seed.

Edible Uses

Immature seeds can be cooked and used like peas in soups and stews. Mature seeds are dried and stored for future use; they must be thoroughly cooked before eating and are best soaked for around 12 hours beforehand. They can be used in soups and stews, or fermented to make tempeh. Sprouted seeds are cooked and used in Chinese dishes. Dried seeds can be ground into a powder to thicken soups or mixed with cereal flours when making bread. Young seedpods can be steamed and served as a side dish with rice, or added to soups and stews. Leaves are also edible when cooked, though they often have a bitter taste.

Traditional Uses

The leaves, young pods and seeds are all eaten. The seeds are eaten fresh or after drying. They are also fried in oil. Dried beans are boiled or baked. They can be used in soups and stews. The seeds are sometimes grown as bean sprouts then cooked and eaten. CAUTION Some kinds have poison (hydrocyanic acid). This is destroyed by thorough cooking. As well the beans contain a protein inhibitor but this is destroyed by cooking.

Medicinal Uses

In traditional Asian medicine, the seeds and leaves are valued for their astringent properties and are used as a dietary treatment for fever. The seeds are powdered and rubbed into small cuts on tumours and abscesses to encourage suppuration. The leaf juice, mixed with coconut oil or castor oil, is given to children to build strength, treat fever, and act as an emetic.

Known Hazards

The raw mature seed is poisonous. The toxic principle is hydrocyanic acid and this is destroyed by thoroughly cooking the seed.

Distribution

It suits warm and subtropical areas. In the tropics it is common between 500 and 2100 m altitude but grows to the limit of cultivation (2700 m). For germination it must have a soil temperature above 15.5°C and cannot withstand frost. In very hot weather seeds often do not set. It does best in a temperature range 14-21°C. It is sensitive to a pH less than 6. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 8-11. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andes, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marianas, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru*, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rwanda, Sahel, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, USA, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, West Timor, Zambia, Zimbabwe,

Cultivation

Plants are generally tolerant of heavy rainfall during the growing period, though heavy rain, when they are flowering, can adversely affect fertilization. A dry period is required for the seeds to mature. Temperatures higher than 30°c adversely affect fertilization, especially in forms that have large seeds. Requires a well-drained moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. Prefers a sandy loam.. Plants are prone to drop their flowers when grown in nitrogen-rich soils. Found in the wild on a range of well-drained soils from black clay to brown friable to rocky and sandy (even on sand dunes near beaches) and variously derived from basalt, volcanic ash, limestone. metamorphic schists or volcanic rock. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, however, some cultivars tolerate acid soils with a pH as low as 4.4. Some climbing forms are more drought-resistant than bush forms due to their deep, well-developed root system. Plants can commence producing their edible seedpods in 12 - 16 weeks from seed. The pods can be harvested over a period of several months. Yields of 400 - 1,500 kilos per hectare of dried seed can be obtained. A very variable plant from which a wide range of cultivars have been developed. There are both bush and climbing forms as well as annual and perennial forms. The climbing plants are more productive but bush forms come into bearing more quickly and are probably more suitable for cooler gardens. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. The plants are very frost tender and are even less tolerant of wet and cold than the runner bean, Phaseolus coccineus. There are bush and climbing forms, the climbers are more productive but bush forms come into bearing more quickly and are probably more suitable for cooler gardens. Plants mature in 12 - 16 weeks from seed in warm climates but the growing season in Britain is usually too short for the beans to mature fully and crop yields are seldom worthwhile.

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in mid-spring in a greenhouse. Germination should occur within 10 days. Prick seedlings out into individual pots when large enough to handle, and plant out after the last expected frosts.

Other Uses

In the more humid tropics, Lima bean is mostly grown in home gardens or intercropped with cereals such as maize and sorghum, root and tuber crops including yam and cassava, or other crops such as banana, groundnut, and sugar cane. Sole cropping is more common in drier areas such as Madagascar and Peru. In intercropping, seeds are often placed in the same planting hole as the companion crop. Lima bean has also been grown as a cover crop and green manure. It is used for animal feed, fodder, and forage, and improves soil fertility.

Production

Harvesting can begin after about 100 days. Dried beans can be stored for several months. Yields of 0.12 kg of seeds per square metre have been obtained. The yield of pods can be 1 kg per square metre. The leaves, pods and flowers can be plucked from the plant.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. A quite important and common bean in many highland areas of Papua New Guinea. About 100,000 tons of dry beans are produced each year.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Abongband, Agwa, Akbaka, Akpatramo, Amaijalero, Apteram, Awuje, Behna, Beloi, Butter bean, Civet bean, Ckuku, Daful, Dau bach-bien, Dau-diem, Dau-ngu, Ebigaaga, Ewuje, Feijao-magalo, Frejol de manteca, Frijol caballero, Haba, Haba pallar, Habilla, Htawbat-pe, Kachang china, Kachang jawa, Kachang mas, Kachang serendeng, Kal-beir-kan, Kara, Kawl-be, Kekara, Khasi kollu, Korokoco, Kpokpo, Kratok, Limski fižol, Lobia, Lobiya, Muma kedeba, Obuhindhini, Obuyindiyindi, Okuku, Onguk, Orusa, Patani, Pe-bra, Pe-byu-gyi, Pe-gya, Roway, Santagu-pe, Sem, Sieva Bean, Taipee, Tim-sin, Torta, Tua rachamat, Tunoran, Wake

References (80)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 31
• Agea, J. G., et al 2011, Wild and Semi-wild Food Plants of Bunyoro-Kitara Kingdom of Uganda: etc. Environmental Research Journal 5(2) 74-86
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 445
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 217
• Baudoin, J.P., 2006. Phaseolus lunatus L. [Internet] Record from Protabase. Brink, M. & Belay, G. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa), Wageningen, Netherlands. < http://database.prota.org/search.htm>. Accessed 21 October 200919 October 2009

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