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Phaseolus lunatus - L.
Common Name Family Synonyms
Lima Bean Fabaceae or Leguminosae

Known Hazards

The raw mature seed is poisonous. The toxic principle is hydrocyanic acid and this is destroyed by thoroughly cooking the seed[200]. Not known S. America.

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Habitats Range

Edibility Rating

Medicinal Rating

Care

Summary

Physical Characteristics

http://c ommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ph aseolus_lunatus_Blanc o2.369.png

Phaseolus lunatus is a PERENNIAL CLIMBER. It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. It is in flower from Jul to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.It can fix Nitrogen. The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils..It cannot grow in the shade.It requires moist soil.

Habitats
Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed; Seedpod. Immature seed - cooked and used like peas in soups, stews etc[183]. The mature seed is dried and stored for future use. It must be thoroughly cooked before being eaten[200]. It is best soaked for about 12 hours prior to cooking and is eaten in soups, stews or fermented and made into tempeh[183]. The sprouted seeds are cooked and used in Chinese dishes[183]. The dried seed can be ground into a powder then used as a thickener in soups or can be mixed with cereal flours when making bread. Young seedpods - steamed and used as a side dish with rice, or added to soups, stews etc[183]. Leaves - cooked. They often have a bitter taste[183].

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Medicinal Uses
Plants For A Future can not take any responsib ility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional b efore using a plant medicinally. Astringent. The seeds are astringent[240]. They are used in the diet of people with fevers[240].

Other Uses
None known

Cultivation details
Requires a well-drained moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. Plants are prone to drop their flowers when grown in nitrogen-rich soils[200]. The Lima bean is commonly cultivated for its edible seed and seedpods in tropical and warm temperate areas of the world, there are many named varieties[183, 200]. The plants are very frost tender and are even less tolerant of wet and cold than the runner bean, Phaseolus coccineus[200]. There are bush and climbing forms, the climbers are more productive but bush forms come into bearing more quickly and are probably more suitable for cooler gardens[200]. Plants mature in 12 - 16 weeks from seed in warm climates but the growing season in Britain is usually too short for the beans to mature fully and crop yields are seldom worthwhile[200]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[200].

Propagation
Pre-soak the seed for 12 hours in warm water and sow in mid spring in a greenhouse. Germination should take place within 10 days. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

Expert comment

Author
L.

Botanical References
200

Links / References

[183]Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world. [200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. [240]Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

Readers comment
Elizabeth H. PROMISE SIMWINDE MULEYA Fri Aug 17 2007 informative page it is.But is this the same crop with climber bean ?

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