pip. Na'2lT' JOHN H. KERR RESERVOIR BASIN — MILLER 221 



Such varieties as Pinto, Pink, and Eed Mexican belong to the P. 

 vulgaris species, although probably more heat- and drought-resistant 

 than the common varieties grown in the humid regions, are not as 

 well adapted to semiarid conditions as the Tepary, P. actifolius var. 

 latifolius. This variety has been extensively studied, classified, and 

 described by Freeman (1912). It is said to have had not only an 

 origin distinct from the kidney bean, but to be botanically distinct in 

 being more resistant to heat, drought, and insect attacks, hence more 

 productive in semi-arid regions. According to Freeman : 



The seeds are smaller averaging about .15 grams, and lack the characteristic 

 flossiness in seed-coat. The flowers and leaves are also smaller, the latter 

 having distinctly shorter petioles and being narrower, smoother, and with trun- 

 cate instead of dordate base as in the kidney type. The seed is of various 

 colors including white, pink, yellow, brown and black, some being self-colored, 

 others flecked and mottled. The vines are usually trailing and bear many 

 small four- to five-seeded straight pods. [Freeman, 1912, pp. 179-180.] 



Wittmack described a number of the Southwest beans as being 

 charred with the seed coats burned away allowing the cotyledons to 

 separate. However, there apparently were a sufficient number com- 

 plete enough to validate classification. 



The bulk of the beans were small, from 6.7 to 8.9 mm. long, 3.8 to 4.8 mm. 

 wide, and 2.9 to 3.2 mm. thick. He comments that these beans were smaller 

 than those grown in Europe at that time and noticeably smaller than beans 

 from Peruvian graves. A single cotyledon of a bean was conspicuously larger 

 with dimensions of 10.3 mm. long, 6.3 mm. wide, and 2.7 mm. thick. This he 

 considered more normal size and comparable in dimension and form to the 

 dwarf French bean of his day. Wittmack identified the beans of both sizes 

 as garden beans, Phascolus vulgaris. [Jones, 1952, pp. 179-180.] 



Freeman (1912, pp. 583-585) points out a number of ready distinc- 

 tions of the garden bean and the Tepary. Most of these are based on 

 vegetative characters or other features which could not be applied 

 to the determination of archeological materials. One fairly consistent 

 and distinctive difference is, however, the size of the seeds. If it 

 can be established that the size difference is sufficiently distinct and 

 constant, this could be applied in the identification of even charred 

 beans in which most other diagnostic features have been obliterated. 

 . . . Freeman gives the average dimensions of each variety (ibid., 

 pp. 576-582, 593-602). Jones (1952, pp. 180-181) gives the follow- 

 ing data on the garden bean: 



Maximum average for a variety. 

 Minimum average for a variety _ 



Average for all 20 varieties 



Average Clarksville specimen.- 



