454 Kitchen Garden Esculents of American Origin. [May, 
ever found in a pod,! in our most improved varieties five or even 
six, 
Beans : Asparagus.—The asparagus bean has its popular char- 
acter indicated by its other name, yard-long, indicating the ex- 
treme length of its pods, which often attain a length of two feet. 
It is the Dolichos sesquipedalis L., and is said to be a native of 
the West Indies and of tropical America, and I find no mention 
of other origin accredited to it. It was included in American 
seed catalogues in 1828,? and was described as a garden plant in 
America by Fessenden, 1828, and in France by Noisette.* It is 
said to have been first introduced into England in 1781.5 It may 
have been the “Indian rouncival, or miraculous pulse, so called 
from their long pods and great increase: they are very good” of 
Lawson, 1700-8, found on his journey to Carolina, but the 
species was not named by Linnzus before 1762, by Reichard 
before 1772, nor by Jacquin before 1770-6, No varieties are now 
sold by our seedsmen, nor has any but the original form been 
described. My notes are very deficient regarding this species. 
The name of asparagus bean is probably derived from the lack 
of membrane, and hence tender character of the pods, which are 
cooked and eaten as a string bean. 
Bean: Scarlet Runner.— The culture of the scarlet runner, 
Phaseolus multiflorus Lam., is very modern. In Johnson’s edition 
of Gerarde, 1630, it is said to have been procured by Tradescant ; 
in Ray’s time, 1686, it was grown for ornament; Miller, about 
1750, was the first to bring it into repute in England as a vegeta- 
ble” In America it was mentioned by M’Mahon in 18068 as cul- 
tivated exclusively for ornament; in 1821 it is included by Thor- 
burn among vegetables,’ in 1828 the scarlet and white Dutch are. 
both mentioned among garden vegetable seeds,” and in 1828 or 
before, both varieties with white or scarlet flowers were grown in 
France under the name Haricot d’Espagne.” 
1 Schweinfurth, 1. c. 
