164 PHASEOLUS VULGARIS (FRENCH BEAN) 



PHASEOLUS VULGARIS (COMMON KIDNEY 

 BEAN, FRENCH BEAN, HARICOT BEAN). 



This bean {Phaseolus vulgaris) is a plant which for a 

 long time was thought to be a native of India, but to which 

 we now, following de Candolle, attribute an American 

 origin. 



The word Phaseolus comes from Pliaselus, the name 

 assigned by Virgil to several legumes, which is derived in 

 its turn from the Greek Phasclos, a barque, an allusion to 

 the shape of the pods. 



In the Journal de Botanique for 1897, M. Ed. Bonnet 

 tells us no seed of the bean has ever been found among the 

 lake dwellings or in Egyptian excavations, or among the 

 ruins of Greek and Roman cities; further, this plant is 

 neither mentioned in the Bible nor in the Talmud ; we must 

 go back to the Greek authors of the post-Homeric period 

 in order to find, under the name of Dolichos Phaseolos, 

 mention of a member of the Leguminos^e whose identity with 

 our runner bean it has been endeavoured to establish. But 

 the texts which the majority of authors have used to describe 

 this species indicate other Leguminosa^. 



The bean appears to have been imported into Spain and 

 Flanders from America. Apparently it was only imported 

 into England towards the year 1594. 



The kidney bean {Phaseolus vulgaris) is cultivated ex- 

 tensively in every country of the world. Manifold varieties 

 are in existence, and their number is increased every year. 



Beans are annual plants ; they may be sown throughout 

 the year in any locality which is free from the fly Agrotnyza 

 Phaseoli. They are divided into dwarf beans and runner 

 beans according to their mode of growth. 



The flowers are gathered in clusters of two to eight, 

 borne on a more or less lengthy peduncle springing from 

 the axil of a leaf. These flowers are white, pink, lilac, 

 more or less pale, rarely violet or rose carmine. 



The fruit is a pod which is composed of seeds and husk. 



