French bean

French bean

Synonym: French bean, String bean, Field bean, Flageolet bean, Kidney bean, Garden bean, Green bean, Haricot bean, Pop bean, or Snap bean

Scientific name: Phaseolus vulgaris L.

Local name: Farashi bean

Taxonomic Position According to Cronquist (1981)

Botanical Description of French Bean

Habit: A climber or sub-erect annual herb

Root: Tap root system

Stem: Herbaceous, branched

Leaf: alternate, compound, trifoliate, pulvinate

Inflorescence: A simple raceme, terminal, flowers bear in a cluster

Flower: Papilionaceous, zygomorphic, hermaphrodite

Calyx: Sepal five, gamosepalous, aestivation valvate

Corolla: polypetalous, petal five, papilionaceous, composed of one standard, two wing and two keel.

Androecium: Stamen 10, diadelphous (9)+1

Gynoecium: Ovary superior, monocarpellary, marginal placentation

Fruit: A legume, pod oblong

Number of Chromosome: 2n=22, 24 (Kumar and Subramaniam, 1986)

Economic Importance: It is one of the best known and widely cultivated edible phaseolus plant. Immature fruits are used as vegetable. Dry ripe seeds are also edible. The leaves are also used as pot-herb. The straw is used as forage.

Table French bean varieties developed by Pulse Research Centre, BARI