BULLETIN OF THE 



mac 



No. 119 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry, Wm. A. Taylor, Chief. 

 September 2, 1914. 



(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 



FIVE ORIENTAL SPECIES OF BEANS. 



By 0. V. Piper, Agrostologist in Charge, and W. J. Morse, Scientific Assistant, 

 Forage-Crop Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Among the food plants of secondary importance in different parts 

 of Asia are five annual species of beans that at various times have 

 been introduced into the United States but concerning which very 

 little definite information has been published. These five are the 

 adsuki bean (Phaseolus angularis) , the rice bean (PTiaseolus calcaratus) , 

 the mung bean (PTiaseolus aureus) , the urd (Phaseolus mungo) , 

 and the moth bean (PTiaseolus aconitifolius) . Unfortunately, there 

 has been considerable confusion in the literature, both botanical 

 and agricultural, concerning these beans, especially between the 

 first two and between the third and fourth. The adsuki bean has 

 even been confused with the very different urd. 



The illustrations in this paper well show the peculiarities of each 

 of these five species. They may also be distinguished by the follow- 

 ing key (compare PL VII) : 



Leaflets parted into 3 to 5 narrow lobes Moth. 



Leaflets entire or occasionally 2 or 3 lobed. 



Plants and pods very hairy; seeds mostly dull. 



Pods with short hairs; seeds globose or subglobose, green, rarely brown, 

 blackish or yellow, the testa marked with fine crenulate lines; hilum 



not concave Mung. 



Pods with long hairs; seeds oblong, blackish, the testa not crenulate 



striate ; hilum concave Urd. 



Plants smooth or little hairy; seeds smooth and shiny. 



Pods constricted between the seeds; hilum not concave Adsuki. 



Pods not constricted between the seeds; hilum concave Rice. 



The five species of Phaseolus considered in this bulletin were, 

 together with others, placed by De Candolle (1825, p. 394-395) 1 



1 For complete bibliographic references, see the alphabetical list of literature cited at the end of this 

 bulletin. 



46677°— 14— 1 



