Wikimedia Commons
Fabaceae
Scarlet Runner Bean
Phaseolus coccineus
Climbing love and abundant harvest.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Phaseolus
- Native to
- mountains of Central America
- Bloom season
- Summer, Early Fall
- Type
- tender perennial vine; grown as annual
- Height
- 2–4 m
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- fertile, well-drained
- Water
- medium
- Hardiness
- annual; perennial in 9–11
- Lifespan
- perennial in mild climates
Did you know
- Cultivated in Mexico for over 2,000 years, originally for its starchy tubers as much as for its beans.
- Hummingbirds adore its scarlet flowers and are its main pollinator throughout its native range.
- Both the immature pods and the mature beans are edible, though the raw beans contain toxic phytohaemagglutinin.
- It can climb a 3-meter pole in a single growing season — Victorian gardeners trained it as a living arbor.
- Unlike common beans, scarlet runner is perennial in frost-free climates, returning from a tuberous root each spring.
Color meanings
Red
passionate growth
White
modest abundance
Pink
tender returning