Edible Plants of the World

Common bean

Common bean

A temperate plant. It mostly grows from 700 m to 2000 m altitude in the tropics. In the lowlands it suffers from pest and disease but it can be grown to sea level. It is not suited to the wet tropics. It is shallow rooted and therefore damaged by excess moisture near the roots. About 350 mm of water is enough for a crop life cycle. It is sensitive to frost and to high temperatures. Flowers will not form below 9.5°C and night temperatures above 37°C cause flowers to drop. The best temperature is 15-21°C. It does not suit very acid soils. In Nepal it grows up to 1200 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 8-11.

Also known as:

Affi, Asare simi, Babri, Bakia, Bakla, Barigalu, Binisi, Black beans, Bonchi, Bo-sa-pe, Cannellini bean, Chiclayo, Ebihimba, Ebijanjaalo, Ebikanga, Ebisobooza, Ebisobyo, Fagiolo, Fasiole, Feijao-preto, Frash bean, French bean, Frijol, Green bean, Habi cheulas, Haricot bean, Hto-pe-ton, Ingem mame, Ingen mame, Judia, Kacang buncis, Kachang bunchis, Kachang pendek, Kidney bean, Lobia, Mahalagi, Makasikila, Malemba, Mattu wanyambi, Mete-beir, Navy bean, Ngaingai, Ngor, Noviya, Nyemba, Phanasi, Pini, Pinto beans, Pra-say-taut, Rajama, Rajmah, Rajma sibi, Sanndaek barang, Shravanghevda, Snijboon, Ta-la-pe, Te bin, Teiko, Thia khaek, Tingalavari, To-tok, Tsai douk, Turtle bean

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Common bean grow?

Found in: Afghanistan, Africa, Albania, Andes, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Austria, Balkans, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bougainville, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Caribbean, Caucasus, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo DR, Congo R, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Easter Island, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Europe, Fiji, France, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guam, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Liberia, Macedonia, Malawi, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Marianas, Marquesas, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, North Africa, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Romania, Rotuma, Russia, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Sikkim, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. Of considerable importance at high altitude locations in the tropics.

Growing Common bean

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. Seed should preferably be planted on raised beds. Climbing types need stakes. Plants are self fertilised. Seeds remain viable for 2 years. Germination is normally good if seed have been well stored. In many places these beans are inter-cropped with other plants. If they are grown on their own, bush types can be spaced at 25 cm by 25 cm. Or they can be put closer together in rows wider apart to make weeding and harvesting easier. For dried beans, once the pods are mature and turning yellow, the whole plants are pulled, then dried and threshed. About 50-75 kg of seed will sow a hectare. Most French bean varieties are daylength neutral so day length does not affect flowering.

Edible Uses: The young pods, leaves and mature seeds are edible. The pods are eaten raw in salads and also boiled, steamed, marinated and pickled. The young seeds are boiled and served as a vegetable. The dry seeds are soaked in water and boiled until soft. They are also baked and used in soups, dips, casseroles and salads. The flowers are sauteed and added to dishes. Sprouted seeds are also eaten. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat.

Production: Dwarf kinds take 6-8 weeks to mature and climbing types take 10-12 weeks. Picking starts 2 weeks after flowering. Yields of dried beans of 1,200 kg per hectare are possible. Dried leaves can be stored for later use.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Seeds dry 332 25 8 10 1 2.8 10
Seeds green 34 3 0.8 - 20 0.2 92
Green fresh Pods 36 2.5 1.4 750 27 0.2 88
Green Pod + Seed 84 6.6 1.8 668 25 1 77.3
Seeds green boiled 73 5.6 1.3 - 17 - 80.4
Seeds sprouted 29 4.2 0.8 0 38.7 0.4 90.7
Leaves raw 36 3.6 - - - - 86.8

Common bean Photos

Common bean Common bean

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