Phaseolus coccineus seed

LATIN NAME: Phaseolus coccineus

COMMON NAME: Scarlet Runner Bean

Scarlet runner bean is the tall, generous, climbing bean of the cool gardens, and its bright, scarlet-red flowers are one of the fine sights of the summer bean patch. The strong, twining climber carries the large, heart-shaped leaves and the clusters of the vivid, scarlet-red, pea-like flowers through the summer, to be followed by the long, green pods of the plump, handsome beans. The young pods are eaten as the green beans, and the dried beans and the flowers have their uses as well. It is a fast, generous, easy climber of the sunny garden.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Scarlet runner bean has a strong and well-documented place in the plant science, and it has been studied as a crop, a flowering climber and a subject of the pollination research. The bright, scarlet-red flowers and the way they set the pods have been studied closely, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the bean crops and the climbing legumes. The large, heart-shaped leaves and the fast, twining growth have also made it a fine garden plant, and the bean is a regular subject of the studies of the nitrogen-fixing legumes and the traditional garden crops.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Scarlet runner bean is grown for the beans and the flowers. The long, green pods are eaten as the green beans, and the plump, dried beans and the young leaves have their uses in the kitchen as well. The bright, scarlet-red flowers are also a fine, showy addition to the garden, pulling in the bees and the hummingbirds, and the plant builds the soil as a nitrogen-fixing legume. It has been written about in the food and the horticultural papers for its double value as a crop and a flowering climber, and it is a fast, generous, easy plant of the sunny garden.

The scarlet runner bean has been a favourite of the cool gardens for a very long time, and the young pods are picked as the green beans through the summer. The dried beans are cooked as a hearty winter food, and the bright, scarlet flowers are a fine, showy bonus that pulls in the bees and the hummingbirds. As a legume the plant builds the soil, and the tall, twining growth makes a fine, generous screen against a sunny wall or a fence.

The scarlet runner bean is a fine, generous crop for the warm wall or the fence, and the long, green pods are picked through the summer. The bright, scarlet flowers are a fine, showy sight as the plant climbs.

To grow the scarlet runner bean from seed, sow the plump, dark beans about three centimetres deep in pots of moist soil, or sow them where they are to climb, keep them in a warm, bright, sheltered spot and water gently. The strong seedlings are up quickly and climb fast up the canes or the strings. With the sun, the rich soil and the steady moisture, the scarlet flowers and the long, green pods will be there through the summer.

Phaseolus coccineus, known as runner bean, scarlet runner bean, or multiflora bean

This bean used by native Americans is stunning for the ornamental and nutritional value. It is a vigorous vine that will grow very tall over 10′ and produces an abundance of scarlet red flowers that hummingbirds love to visit. Lush green foliage is often grown on a tee-pee shaped trellis to make a fun place for kids to play. The huge seeds are very colorful, violet-purple mottled in black.

Good for snap, shell or dry beans. The flowers offer a mild and sweet flavor. Use them to garnish or in salads, soups, and desserts. These beans like fairly cool weather. It is a perennial vine with tuberous roots (though it is usually treated as an annual).