Runner Bean

Phaseolus coccineus, known as pole bean, runner bean or scarlet runner bean (since most varieties have red flowers and multicolored seeds, though some have white flowers and white seeds), is a plant in the Fabaceae family. Runner beans have also been called "Oregon Lima Bean", and in Nahuatl "ayocotl" or in Spanish "ayocote". It differs from the common bean (P. vulgaris) in several respects: the cotyledons stay in the ground during germination, and the plant is a perennial vine with tuberous roots (though it is usually treated as an annual). This species originated from the mountains of Central America.

The vine can grow to two meters (6 feet) or more in length. The green pods are edible whole before they become fibrous, and the seeds can be used fresh or as dried beans. The beans are used in Greek cuisine under the names gígantes (Greek: γίγαντες, giants) and eléfantes (ελέφαντες, elephants), which are more than twice as large as regular beans, taste slightly sweeter, and are favored for baking. They are produced in a specific part of northern Greece, but can be found throughout the country. This kind of bean is one of the main dishes used in Iraqi cuisine.

The starchy roots are still eaten by Central American Indians. In the UK, the flowers are often ignored, or treated as an attractive bonus to cultivating the plant for the beans, whereas in the US the scarlet runner is widely grown for its attractive flowers by people who would never think of eating it.The flower is known as a favourite of Hummingbirds.

Runner beans contain traces of the poisonous lectin, Phytohaemagglutinin, found in common beans.

Phaseolus coccineus subsp. darwinianus is a cultivated subspecies of P. coccineus, it is commonly referred to as the Botil bean in Mexico.