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Phaseolus acutifolius
The tepary bean is a drought-tolerant annual legume from the southwestern US and Mexico, grown for its small, protein-rich beans. It thrives in hot, dry conditions and needs little water.
Phaseolus acutifolius, also known as the tepary bean, is a legume native to the southwestern United States and Mexico that has been grown there by the native peoples since pre-Columbian times. It is more drought-resistant than the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and is grown in desert and semi-desert conditions from Arizona through Mexico to Costa Rica. The water requirements are low. The crop will grow in areas where annual rainfall is less than 400 mm (16 in).
The nutritional characteristics of the tepary bean are generally similar to those of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Like other legumes, tepary beans are rich in protein. They contain 15–32% protein, 0.9–1.7% fat, and 65.3–69.1% carbohydrate. Total dietary fiber content ranges from 18–21%, of which 0.5–1% are considered soluble fiber and 17–20% insoluble fiber. Tepary beans contain higher levels of essential minerals than common pinto beans, with levels 10–40% higher. The exceptions are iron, nickel and selenium, for which the content is the same in both types of bean. There are also differences in the levels of some trace elements, with tepary beans having lower levels of rubidium but higher levels of bromine and strontium than pinto beans.
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Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phaseolus acutifolius by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
