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Phaseolus polystachios
Also called Wild Kidneybean, Wild Kidney Bean, Beanvine, Sacsac, Wild Bean
Thicket bean is a perennial, herbaceous climbing vine native to the eastern temperate United States and southeast Canada, found in woodland edges and thickets. It is grown mainly as a wild or native-plant curiosity and a possible crop wild relative, rather than as a common garden bean.
Phaseolus polystachios, also known as the thicket bean or wild kidney bean, is a perennial, herbaceous vine that is native to North America. It is unique among the Phaseolus in that its native range extends across the eastern temperate United States to southeast Canada, while most Phaseolus are tropical or subtropical. It is the namesake for the Polystachios group clade, which is the most species-rich within Phaseolus (17 species). In spite of its common name, it is more closely related to the lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), and it holds potential as a crop wild relative due to its resistance to white mold (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum).
Phaseolus polystachios inhabits well-drained soils and slopes, generally woodlands and thickets, and may form colonies. Their pods are eaten extensively by weevils.
Tepary bean · Slimleaf bean · Scarlet runner · Year Bean · Slimjim bean · Phaseolus glabellus · Gray's Bean · Bean · Lima bean · Spotted bean · Few Flowered Bean · Santa Rita Mountain bean
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Phaseolus polystachios 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.
