| Phaseolus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| P. vulgaris | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Faboideae |
| Subtribe: | Phaseolinae |
| Genus: | Phaseolus L. (1753) |
| Type species | |
| Phaseolus vulgaris L. | |
| Species | |
See text. | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
| |
Phaseolus (bean,wild bean)[2] is agenus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in thefamilyFabaceae containing about 70plantspecies, all native to theAmericas, primarilyMesoamerica.[3][4]
It is one of the most economically important legume genera. Five of the species have beendomesticated sincepre-Columbian times for theirbeans:P. acutifolius (tepary bean),P. coccineus (runner bean),P. dumosus (year bean),P. lunatus (lima bean), andP. vulgaris (common bean).[5][6] Most prominent among these is thecommon bean,P. vulgaris, which today is cultivated worldwide in tropical, semitropical, and temperateclimates.
Phaseolus species are used as food plants by thelarvae of someLepidoptera species, includingcommon swift,garden dart,ghost mothHypercompe albicornis,H. icasia and thenutmeg.
The generic namePhaseolus was introduced byLinnaeus in 1753,[7] from theLatinphaseolus, adiminutive ofphasēlus, in turn borrowed fromGreek φάσηλος /phasēlos of unknown origin.[8][9] The Ancient Greeks probably referred to any bean in a pod asphasēlos,[10] which at the time, in Europe, were only of Asian origin. Later, when thecommon bean was introduced into Europe viaColumbian exchange in the 16th Century, the meaning of the term extended to the New World beans.
Previous classifications placed a number of other well-knownlegume species in this genus, but they were subsequently reassigned to the genusVigna, sometimes necessitating a change of species name. For example, older literature refers to themung bean asPhaseolus aureus, whereas more modern sources classify it asVigna radiata. Similarly, the snail beanVigna caracalla was discovered in 1753 and in 1970 moved fromPhaseolus toVigna. The modern understanding ofPhaseolus indicates a genusendemic only to the New World.[3]
Species have been organized into eight groups based on phylogenetic clades:[11][12][13]
Leptostachyus group
Lunatus group
Pauciflorus group
Pedicellatus group
Polystachios group
Tuerckheimii group
Vulgaris group
Uncategorized
ThePhaseolus plant has anOPALS plant allergy scale rating of 4 out of 10, indicating moderate potential to cause allergic reactions, exacerbated by over-use of the same plant throughout a garden. Leaves can cause skin rash and old plants often carryrust.[14]
