Phaseolus vulgaris

Phaseolus vulgaris (common bean) — the species behind French, runner, dwarf and climbing beans, domesticated in the Americas. The botanical home of our green bean range.

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Phaseolus vulgaris — the common bean

Phaseolus vulgaris, the common bean, is the species behind most of the beans we grow to eat fresh or dried — French, dwarf, bush and climbing types alike. A tender annual legume, it is the botanical backbone of our green bean and French bean ranges within the wider peas and beans collection.

History & origin

The common bean was domesticated in the Americas thousands of years ago — remarkably, in two separate places, with one centre in Mesoamerica and another in the Andes of South America. Beans were one of the “Three Sisters” of Indigenous agriculture, grown together with maize and squash so the beans could climb the corn and enrich the soil. After Columbus, Phaseolus vulgaris spread rapidly across Europe, Africa and Asia, in many kitchens replacing the older broad bean.

Its botanical name nods to the pod's shape: Phaseolus derives from a Greek and Latin word for a little boat or skiff, while vulgaris means “common.”

Botanical characteristics

As a legume, the common bean fixes its own nitrogen through root nodules, enriching the soil as it grows. It comes in two main habits: low, self-supporting bush types that crop in a quick flush — our bush and dwarf beans — and tall climbers that crop for weeks up canes, our climbing and pole beans. Pods range from slender green and yellow to purple and flecked borlotti, and the same plant can give both tender pods to eat whole and dried beans to store.

Growing Phaseolus vulgaris from seed

Beans are tender and hate cold, wet soil, so sow after the last frost into warm, well-prepared ground, or start them in pots to plant out. Climbing types need their supports in place before sowing; bush types need none. Pick regularly once the pods come, as the more you harvest the more the plant produces. Our vegetable sowing calendar shows the timing and our plant supports guide covers the frames climbers need.

Ready to grow beans? Browse the varieties or learn the basics first.

Related categories: Green Beans · French Beans · Bush Beans · Climbing Beans · Peas & Beans

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Phaseolus vulgaris?
It is the common bean, a tender annual legume that includes French, dwarf, bush and climbing beans.

Where do common beans originate?
From the Americas — domesticated separately in Mesoamerica and the Andes — and spread worldwide after Columbus.

What does the name mean?
Phaseolus comes from a word for a little boat, after the pod's shape, and vulgaris means “common.”

Do beans need support?
Climbing types need canes; bush and dwarf types support themselves.

Do beans improve the soil?
Yes — as legumes they fix their own nitrogen through their roots.