Lima bean

Where does Lima bean grow?

Found in: Africa, Andes, Angola, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Brazil, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, Central America, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo DR, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marianas, Mauritius, Mexico, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Uganda, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, West Timor, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Status: It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. A quite important and common bean in many highland areas of Papua New Guinea. About 100,000 tons of dry beans are produced each year.

Growing Lima bean

Cultivation: It is grown from seed. Coloured seeds are often hard to get to grow but white seeded kinds start growing easily. Sow 3-4 seeds in a hill and put a stick 2-3 m tall in the middle. Hills should be about 1 m apart. Seeds should be 2-4 cm deep.

Edible Uses: The leaves, young pods and seeds are all eaten. The seeds are eaten fresh or after drying. They are also fried in oil. Dried beans are boiled or baked. They can be used in soups and stews. The seeds are sometimes grown as bean sprouts then cooked and eaten. CAUTION Some kinds have poison (hydrocyanic acid). This is destroyed by thorough cooking. As well the beans contain a protein inhibitor but this is destroyed by cooking.

Production: Harvesting can begin after about 100 days. Dried beans can be stored for several months. Yields of 0.12 kg of seeds per square metre have been obtained. The yield of pods can be 1 kg per square metre. The leaves, pods and flowers can be plucked from the plant.

Nutrition Info

Lima bean Photos

References

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