Macroptilium lathyroides Seeds | Phasey Bean

Phasey Bean seeds (Macroptilium lathyroides)

LATIN NAME: Macroptilium lathyroides

COMMON NAME: Phasey Bean

Plant Profile

Phasey Bean (Macroptilium lathyroides) grows as a fast-growing, annual in the pea family. Phasey bean twines slender, twining stems through neighbouring plants, three leaflets and small, pea-like flowers scattered along them, and the whole plant carries the fine, leafy look of the warm pasture. It is a plant of open, sunny, light, well-drained ground. Add these qualities together and you have a species well worth a place in the garden.

Science & Biotechnology

Within the pea family, Macroptilium lathyroides is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Because it has been grown for so long, its garden habits are thoroughly documented.

Uses & Benefits

Gardeners value Phasey Bean for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Phasey bean is a leafy, useful plant of warm pasture and study collection. It is a leafy, useful plant of open, sunny, light, well-drained garden. Phasey bean seeds start easily in a light, sandy loam kept warm and moist. Given the right start, it carries on with minimal intervention.

Beyond its looks, it serves the wider garden: the flowers feed bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, and stems cut for the vase bring the season indoors.

Growing from Seed

Raising Phasey Bean from seed is straightforward. Use a fine, free-draining seed compost, scatter the seed evenly, cover it lightly and hold it just moist in good light. Transplant the sturdiest seedlings to their permanent spots and let them develop without disturbance.

Our Take

Once established, Phasey Bean largely looks after itself. It forms a fast-growing, annual, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. Moisture matters most while plants are young; established plants cope with far more.

Flower Seeds