View source for Biology:Bean

{{Short description|Seed of one of several genera of the plant family Fabaceae}}
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[[File:French beans J1.JPG|thumb|right|Bean pods on a plant]]
[[File:Bean-lubia.jpg|thumb|right|Bean plant]]

A '''bean''' is the seed of several plants in the family [[Biology:Fabaceae|Fabaceae]], which are used as vegetables for human or animal food.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.choosemyplate.gov/eathealthy/vegetables/vegetables-beans-and-peas |title=Beans and peas are unique foods {{!}} ChooseMyPlate |website=www.choosemyplate.gov |access-date=2020-01-24}}</ref> They can be cooked in many different ways,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Clark |first1=Mellisa |title=How to Cook Beans |url=https://cooking.nytimes.com/guides/21-how-to-cook-beans |website=New York Times Cooking |access-date=3 January 2020}}</ref> including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes throughout the world.

== Terminology ==
The word "bean" and its Germanic cognates (e.g. [[Social:German language|German]] ''Bohne'') have existed in common use in West Germanic languages since before the 12th century,<ref name="MW_Collegiate">{{Citation |author=Merriam-Webster |title=Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary |publisher=Merriam-Webster |url=http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/collegiate/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=3 May 2016 |archive-date=10 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010163505/https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/subscriber/login?redirect_to=%2Fcollegiate%2F |url-status=dead }}{{Page needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> referring to [[Biology:Vicia faba|broad beans]], [[Biology:Chickpea|chickpea]]s, and other pod-borne seeds. This was long before the [[Earth:New World|New World]] genus ''[[Biology:Phaseolus|Phaseolus]]'' was known in Europe.  With the [[Biology:Columbian exchange|Columbian exchange]] of domestic plants between Europe and the Americas, use of the word was extended to pod-borne seeds of ''Phaseolus'', such as the common bean and the runner bean, and the related genus ''[[Biology:Vigna|Vigna]]''. The term has long been applied generally to many other seeds of similar form,<ref name="MW_Collegiate"/><ref name="AHD">{{Citation |author=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |title=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |url=https://ahdictionary.com/ |postscript=. |access-date=3 May 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104737/https://ahdictionary.com/ |archive-date=25 September 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> such as Old World [[Biology:Soybean|soybean]]s, [[Biology:Pea|pea]]s, other [[Biology:Vicia|vetches]], and [[Biology:Lupinus|lupins]], and even to those with slighter resemblances, such as [[Biology:Coffee bean|coffee bean]]s, [[Biology:Vanilla|vanilla beans]], [[Biology:Ricinus|castor beans]], and cocoa beans. Thus the term "bean" in general usage can refer to a host of different species.<ref name=FAOdef>{{cite web |title=Definition And Classification Of Commodities (See Chapter 4) |publisher=FAO, United Nations |year=1994 |url=http://www.fao.org/es/faodef/faodefe.htm |access-date=5 July 2012 |archive-date=12 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012031118/http://www.fao.org/ES/faodef/FAODEFE.HTM |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Seeds called "beans" are often included among the crops called "pulses" ([[Biology:Legume|legume]]s),<ref name="MW_Collegiate"/> although the words are not always interchangeable (usage varies by plant variety and by region). Both terms, ''beans'' and ''pulses'', are usually reserved for grain crops and thus exclude those legumes that have tiny seeds and are used exclusively for non-grain purposes (forage, hay, and silage), such as [[Biology:Clover|clover]] and [[Biology:Alfalfa|alfalfa]]. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization defines "BEANS, DRY" (item code 176)<ref name=FAOdef/> as applicable only to species of ''Phaseolus''. This is one of various examples of how narrower [[Philosophy:Word sense|word sense]]s enforced in [[Finance:Trade regulation|trade regulation]]s or [[Biology:Botany|botany]] often coexist in [[Philosophy:Natural language|natural language]] with broader [[Philosophy:Word sense|senses]] in culinary use and general use; other common examples are [[Biology:Nut (fruit)|the narrow sense of the word ''nut'']] and the broader sense of the word ''nut'', and the fact that [[Biology:Tomato#Fruit versus vegetable|tomatoes are fruit, botanically speaking, but are often treated as vegetables in culinary and general usage]]. Relatedly, another detail of usage is that several species of plants that are sometimes called beans, including ''Vigna angularis'' (azuki bean), ''mungo'' (black gram), ''radiata'' (green gram), and ''aconitifolia'' (moth bean), were once [[Biology:Taxonomy|classified]] as ''Phaseolus'' but later reclassified—but the taxonomic revision does not entirely stop the use of well-established senses in general usage.<!--In other words, general usage is not always wholly governed by botanical nomenclatural standards, nor chemical nomenclatural standards, nor pharmaceutical nomenclatural standards, nor any other [[Controlled vocabulary|controlled vocabulary]]—which is the usual nature of the widespread [[Philosophy:Polysemy|polysemy]] in natural language.-->

==Cultivation==
[[File:Field beans near Pendomer - geograph.org.uk - 1463701.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Biology:Vicia faba|Vicia faba]]'' ready for harvest]]

Unlike the closely related [[Biology:Pea|pea]], beans are a summer crop that needs warm temperatures to grow. Legumes are capable of [[Biology:Nitrogen fixation|nitrogen fixation]] and hence need less fertiliser than most plants. Maturity is typically 55–60 days from planting to harvest.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zWW4AQAAQBAJ&q=bean+maturity+55%E2%80%9360+days&pg=PA452 |title=Early Named Soybean Varieties in the United States and Canada: Extensively Annotated Bibliography and Sourcebook |first1=William |last1=Shurtleff |first2=Akiko |last2=Aoyagi |date=1 October 2013 |publisher=Soyinfo Center |access-date=18 November 2017 |via=Google Books |isbn=9781928914600}}</ref> As the bean pods mature, they turn yellow and dry up, and the beans inside change from green to their [[Biology:Phaseolus vulgaris|mature colour]].{{Clarify|date=November 2017}} Many beans are vines, as such the plants need external support, which may take the form of special "bean cages" or poles. Native Americans customarily grew them along with corn and squash (the so-called [[Biology:Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters]]),<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6O4sOoTqV60C&q=native+americans+corn+beans+squash&pg=PA114 |title=New York Yesterday & Today |first=Meg |last=Schneider |publisher=Voyageur Press |access-date=18 November 2017 |via=Google Books |isbn=9781616731267}}</ref> with the tall [[Biology:Plant stem|cornstalks]] acting as support for the beans.

In more recent times, the so-called "bush bean" has been developed which does not require support and has all its pods develop simultaneously (as opposed to pole beans which develop gradually).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artdec13macro/Gerhardt_Final.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artdec13macro/Gerhardt_Final.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |title=The Germination Of a Bean |website=Microscopy-uk.org.uk |access-date=18 November 2017}}</ref> This makes the bush bean more practical for commercial production.

==History==
[[File:A.farnesiana-pods-2.JPG|thumb|right|''Acacia farnesiana'' Beans in a pod]]
[[File:BakedBeansAndEggOnToast.jpg|thumb|Baked beans on toast (with egg)]]
[[File:Carracci - Der Bohnenesser.jpeg|thumb|''The Beaneater'' (1580–1590) by Annibale Carracci]]

Beans were an important source of protein throughout Old and New World history, and still are today.

Beans are one of the longest-cultivated plants in history. Broad beans, also called fava beans, are in their wild state the size of a small fingernail, and were first gathered in Afghanistan and the Himalayan foothills.<ref>Kaplan, pp. 27 ff</ref> An early cultivated form were grown in Thailand from the early seventh millennium BCE, predating ceramics.<ref>{{cite journal |pmid=17742735 |year=1969 |last1=Gorman |first1=CF |title=Hoabinhian: A pebble-tool complex with early plant associations in southeast Asia |volume=163 |issue=3868 |pages=671–3 |doi=10.1126/science.163.3868.671 |journal=Science |bibcode=1969Sci...163..671G |s2cid=34052655}}</ref> Beans were deposited with the dead in ancient Egypt. Not until the second millennium BCE did cultivated, large-seeded broad beans appear in the Aegean region, Iberia, and transalpine Europe.<ref>Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf ''Domestication of Plants in the Old World'' Oxford University Press, 2012, {{ISBN|0199549060}}, p. 114.</ref> In the ''[[Religion:Iliad|Iliad]]'' (8th century BCE), there is a passing mention of beans and [[Biology:Chickpea|chickpea]]s cast on the threshing floor.<ref>"And as in some great threshing-floor go leaping From a broad pan the black-skinned beans or peas." (''Iliad'' xiii, 589).</ref>

The oldest-known domesticated beans in the Americas were found in Guitarrero Cave, an archaeological site in Peru, and dated to around the second millennium BCE.<ref name=Chazan/> However, genetic analyses of the common bean ''Phaseolus'' show that it originated in [[Place:Mesoamerica|Mesoamerica]], and subsequently spread southward, along with [[Biology:Maize|maize]] and squash, traditional companion crops.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Mesoamerican origin of the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is revealed by sequence data |first1=Elena |last1=Bitocchi |first2=Laura |last2=Nanni |first3=Elisa |last3=Bellucci |first4=Monica |last4=Rossi |first5=Alessandro |last5=Giardini |first6=Pierluigi Spagnoletti |last6=Zeuli |first7=Giuseppina |last7=Logozzo |first8=Jens |last8=Stougaard |first9=Phillip |last9=McClean |first10=Giovanna |last10=Attene |first11=Roberto |last11=Papa |date=3 April 2012 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=109 |issue=14 |pages=E788–E796 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1108973109 |pmid=22393017 |pmc=3325731 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Most of the kinds of beans commonly eaten today are part of the genus ''Phaseolus'', which originated in the Americas.  The first European to encounter them was Christopher Columbus, while exploring what may have been the Bahamas, and saw them growing in fields. Five kinds of ''[[Biology:Phaseolus|Phaseolus]]'' beans were domesticated<ref>Kaplan, p. 30: Domestication, besides involving selection for larger seed size, also involved selection for pods that did not curl and open when ripe, scattering the beans they contained.</ref> by pre-Columbian peoples: common beans (''[[Biology:Phaseolus vulgaris|P. vulgaris]]'') grown from Chile to the northern part of what is now the United States; and lima and sieva beans (''[[Biology:Phaseolus lunatus|P. lunatus]]''); as well as the less widely distributed teparies (''[[Biology:Phaseolus acutifolius|P. acutifolius]]''), scarlet runner beans (''[[Biology:Phaseolus coccineus|P. coccineus]]''), and polyanthus beans.<ref>Kaplan, p. 30</ref>

One well-documented use of beans by pre-Columbian people as far north as the Atlantic seaboard is the "[[Biology:Three Sisters (agriculture)|Three Sisters]]" method of companion plant cultivation: Many tribes would grow beans together with [[Biology:Maize|maize]] (corn), and squash. The corn would not be planted in rows as is done by European agriculture, but in a checkerboard/hex fashion across a field, in separate patches of one to six stalks each.
Beans would be planted around the base of the developing stalks, and would vine their way up as the stalks grew. All American beans at that time were vine plants; "bush beans" were cultivated more recently. The cornstalks would work as a trellis for the bean plants, and the beans would provide much-needed [[Chemistry:Nitrogen|nitrogen]] for the corn. Squash would be planted in the spaces between the patches of corn in the field. They would be provided slight shelter from the sun by the corn, would shade the soil and reduce evaporation, and would deter many animals from attacking the corn and beans because their coarse, hairy vines and broad, stiff leaves are difficult or uncomfortable for animals such as deer and raccoons to walk through, crows to land on, and are a deterrent to other animals as well.

Beans were cultivated across Chile in Pre-Hispanic times, likely as far south as Chiloé Archipelago.<ref name=Alimentarias>{{Cite book |title=Chile: Plantas alimentarias Prehispánicas |last1=Pardo B. |first1=Oriana |publisher=Ediciones Parina |year=2014 |isbn=9789569120022 |edition=2015 |location=Arica, Chile |pages=162 |language=Spanish |last2=Pizarro |first2=José Luis}}</ref>

Dry beans come from both Old World varieties of broad beans (fava beans) and New World varieties (kidney, black, cranberry, pinto, navy/haricot).

== Common genera and species ==
[[File:Beans in a supermarket.jpg|thumb|Market|alt=Types of beans in a market]]

Most of the foods we call "beans", "[[Biology:Legume|legumes]]", "lentils" and "pulses" belong to the same family, [[Biology:Fabaceae|Fabaceae]] ("leguminous" plants), but are from different genera and species, native to different homelands and distributed worldwide depending on their adaptability.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Boston |first1=677 Huntington Avenue |last2=Ma 02115 +1495‑1000 |date=2019-10-28 |title=Legumes and Pulses |url=https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/legumes-pulses/ |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=The Nutrition Source |language=en-us}}</ref> Many varieties are eaten both fresh (the whole pod, and the immature beans may or may not be inside) or shelled (immature seeds, mature and fresh seeds, or mature and dried seeds). Numerous legumes look similar, and have become naturalized in locations across the world, which often lead to similar names for different species.
{{Clear}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Genus
!Species and Common Varieties
!Probable Homeland
!Distribution, Cultivation and Climate
!Notes
|-
|[[Biology:Phaseolus|Phaseolus]]
|''[[Biology:Phaseolus vulgaris|P. vulgaris]]'': [[Biology:Kidney bean|Kidney Bean]], [[Biology:Pinto bean|Pinto Bean]], [[Biology:Navy bean|Navy Bean]] (Cannellini, Haricot Beans/[[Biology:Green bean|French Beans]]/Pole Beans/Bush Beans), [[Biology:Black turtle bean|Black Beans]], [[Biology:Cranberry bean|Borlotti Beans]]

''[[Biology:Phaseolus lunatus|P. lunatus]]'': Lima Beans

''[[Biology:Phaseolus coccineus|P. coccineus]]'': Runner Beans, Flat Beans

''[[Biology:Phaseolus acutifolius|P. acutifolius]]'': Tepary Bean
|[[Earth:Americas|The Americas]]
|Tropical, [[Earth:Subtropics|Subtropical]], [[Earth:Temperate climate|Warm Temperate]]
|Certain varieties contain high levels of toxic [[Biology:Phytohaemagglutinin|phytohemagglutinin]]. Requires soaking and then cooking at or above 100C for a minimum of 30 minutes, and ideally much longer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nyombaire |first1=G. |last2=Siddiq |first2=M. |last3=Dolan |first3=K. |date=2007 |title=Effect of soaking and cooking on the oligosaccharides and lectins of red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) |url=https://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=US201300797256 |journal=Annual Report |language=English |issn=0084-7747}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nciri |first1=Nader |last2=Cho |first2=Namjun |date=2017-12-15 |title=New research highlights: Impact of chronic ingestion of white kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Beldia) on small-intestinal disaccharidase activity in Wistar rats |journal=Toxicology Reports |volume=5 |pages=46–55 |doi=10.1016/j.toxrep.2017.12.016 |issn=2214-7500 |pmc=5735304 |pmid=29270365}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Sun |first1=Yufeng |last2=Liu |first2=Jiameng |last3=Huang |first3=Yatao |last4=Li |first4=Minmin |last5=Lu |first5=Jia |last6=Jin |first6=Nuo |last7=He |first7=Yan |last8=Fan |first8=Bei |date=2019-01-01 |title=Phytohemagglutinin content in fresh kidney bean in China |journal=International Journal of Food Properties |volume=22 |issue=1 |pages=405–413 |doi=10.1080/10942912.2019.1590399 |issn=1094-2912 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
|-
|[[Biology:Pisum|Pisum]]
|[[Biology:Pisum sativum|''P. sativum'':]] Green Peas/Garden Peas, White Peas, Yellow Peas, Field Peas, [[Biology:Snow pea|Snow Peas]], Snap Peas 
|Mediterranean
|Subtropical, Temperate, Occasionally Cool  Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Vigna|Vigna]]
|''[[Biology:Mung bean|V. radiata]]'': Mung Bean

''[[Biology:Vigna mungo|V. mungo]]'': Urad

''[[Biology:Cowpea|V. unguiculata (Cowpeas)]]'': Yardlong bean, Black-eyed Peas

''[[Biology:Vigna aconitifolia|V. aconitifolia]]'': Moth bean

''[[Biology:Vigna angularis|V. angularis]]'': Adzuki beans 
|Mostly [[Place:South Asia|South Asia]]
|Equatorial, Pantropical, Warm  Subtropical, Hot Temperate
|
|-
|[[Biology:Cajanus|Cajanus]]
|''[[Biology:Pigeon pea|C. cajan]]'': Pigeon Pea
|[[Earth:Indian subcontinent|Indian Subcontinent]]
|[[Biology:Pantropical|Pantropical]], Equatorial
|
|-
|[[Biology:Lens (plant)|Lens]]
|''[[Biology:Lens culinaris|L. culinaris]]'' (Lentils): Red Lentil, Green Lentil, Puy Lentil
|[[Place:Near East|Near East]]/[[Place:Levant|Levant]]
|Temperate, Subtropical, Cool Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Cicer|Cicer]]
|''[[Biology:Chickpea|C. arietinum]]'': Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)
|[[Place:Turkey|Turkey]]/Levant/Near East
|Temperate, Subtropical, Cool Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Vicia|Vicia]]
|''[[Biology:Vicia faba|V. faba]]'': Fava Beans (Broad Beans)

''[[Biology:Vicia ervilia|V. ervilia]]'': Bitter vetch

[[Biology:Vicia sativa|''V. sativa'':]] Common vetch
|Near East
|Subtropical, Temperate
|Causes [[Medicine:Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency|Favism]] in those susceptible.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Belsey |first=Mark A. |date=1973 |title=The epidemiology of favism |journal=Bulletin of the World Health Organization |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=1–13 |issn=0042-9686 |pmc=2481045 |pmid=4541143}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tarhani |first1=Fariba |last2=Nezami |first2=Alireza |last3=Heidari |first3=Ghobad |last4=Abdolkarimi |first4=Babak |date=2020-08-18 |title=Clinical Manifestations and Therapeutic Findings of the Children with Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Presenting Favism |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32811422/ |journal=Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders Drug Targets |volume=21 |issue=6 |pages=1125–1129 |doi=10.2174/1871530320999200818182905 |issn=2212-3873 |pmid=32811422 |s2cid=221182334}}</ref> 
|-
|[[Biology:Arachis|Arachis]]
|''[[Biology:Peanut|A. hypogaea]]:'' Peanut (Groundnut)
|[[Earth:South America|South America]]
|Warm Subtropical, Cool Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Glycine (plant)|Glycine]]
|''[[Biology:Glycine max|G. max]]'': Soybean
|[[Place:East Asia|East Asia]]
|Hot Temperate, Subtropical, Cool Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Macrotyloma|Macrotyloma]]
|''[[Biology:Macrotyloma uniflorum|M. uniflorum]]'': Horsegram
|South Asia
|Tropical, Subtropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Mucuna|Mucuna]]
|''[[Biology:Mucuna pruriens|M. pruriens]]:'' Velvet Bean
|Tropical Asia and [[Earth:Africa|Africa]]
|Tropical, Warm Subtropical
|Contains [[Chemistry:L-DOPA|L-DOPA]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Raina |first1=Archana P. |last2=Khatri |first2=Renu |date=2011 |title=Quantitative Determination of L-DOPA in Seeds of Mucuna Pruriens Germplasm by High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography |journal=Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences |volume=73 |issue=4 |pages=459–462 |doi=10.4103/0250-474X.95651 |doi-broken-date=31 January 2024 |doi-access=free|issn=0250-474X |pmc=3374567 |pmid=22707835}}</ref> and smaller amounts of  other psychoactive compounds. Can also cause itching and rashes on contact.
|-
|[[Biology:Lupinus|Lupinus]]
|''[[Biology:Lupinus albus|L. albus]]'': White Lupin
''[[Biology:Lupinus mutabilis|L. mutabilis]]'': Tarwi/Andean Lupin
|The Mediterranean, [[Place:Balkans|Balkans]], Levant  (albinus), [[Place:Andes|The Andes]] (mutabilis) 
|Subtropical, Temperate
|Requires prolonged soaking in the correct way to reduce toxic compounds.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schrenk |first1=Dieter |last2=Bodin |first2=Laurent |last3=Chipman |first3=James Kevin |last4=del Mazo |first4=Jesús |last5=Grasl-Kraupp |first5=Bettina |last6=Hogstrand |first6=Christer |last7=Hoogenboom |first7=Laurentius (Ron) |last8=Leblanc |first8=Jean-Charles |last9=Nebbia |first9=Carlo Stefano |last10=Nielsen |first10=Elsa |last11=Ntzani |first11=Evangelia |date=2019-11-05 |title=Scientific opinion on the risks for animal and human health related to the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids in feed and food, in particular in lupins and lupin-derived products |journal=EFSA Journal |volume=17 |issue=11 |pages=e05860 |doi=10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5860 |issn=1831-4732 |pmc=7008800 |pmid=32626161}}</ref>
|-
|[[Biology:Ceratonia|Ceratonia]]
|''[[Biology:Ceratonia siliqua|C. siliqua]]'': Carob bean
|Mediterranean, [[Place:Middle East|Middle East]]
|Subtropical, Arid Subtropical, Hot  Temperate
|
|-
|[[Biology:Canavalia|Canavalia]]
|''C. gladiata:'' Sword Bean

''C. ensiformis'': Jack Beans
|South Asia or Africa (C. gladiata),  {{wipe|Brazil}} and South America (C. Ensiformis) 
|Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Cyamopsis|Cyamopsis]]
|''[[Biology:Cyamopsis tetragonoloba|C. tetragonoloba]]'': Guar Bean 
|Africa or South Asia
|Tropical, Semi-Arid
|Source of [[Chemistry:Guar gum|Guar gum]]
|-
|[[Biology:Lablab|Lablab]]
|''[[Biology:Lablab purpureus|L. purpureus]]'': Hyacinth Bean/Lablab Bean
|South Asia, Indian Subcontinent or Africa
|Tropical
|
|-
|[[Biology:Psophocarpus|Psophocarpus]]
|''P. tetranoglobulus:'' Winged Bean
|New Guinea
|Tropical, Equatorial
|
|-
|[[Biology:Clitoria|Clitoria]]
|''C. ternatea'': Butterfly Pea
|Equatorial and Tropical Asia
|Tropical, Subtropical
|Flowers used as a [[Chemistry:Food coloring|natural food colouring]]
|-
|[[Biology:Lathyrus|Lathyrus]]
|''[[Biology:Lathyrus sativus|L. sativus]]'': Grass Pea
''[[Biology:Lathyrus tuberosus|L. tuberosus]]:'' Tuberous Pea 
|Balkans, India or Asia
|Subtropical
|Can cause [[Medicine:Lathyrism|Lathyrism]] if used as staple.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Haque |first1=A. |last2=Hossain |first2=M. |last3=Wouters |first3=G. |last4=Lambein |first4=F. |date=1996 |title=Epidemiological Study of Lathyrism in Northwestern Districts of Bangladesh |url=https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/109893 |journal=Neuroepidemiology |language=english |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=83–91 |doi=10.1159/000109893 |issn=0251-5350 |pmid=8684587}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Jahan |first1=K. |last2=Ahmad |first2=K. |date=February 1993 |title=Studies on neurolathyrism |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8472656/ |journal=Environmental Research |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=259–266 |doi=10.1006/enrs.1993.1035 |issn=0013-9351 |pmid=8472656|bibcode=1993ER.....60..259J }}</ref>
|-
|[[Biology:Clover|Trifolium]]
|''[[Biology:Trifolium repens|T. repens]]'': White Clover

''[[Biology:Trifolium pratense|T. pratense]]'': Red Clover 
|[[Earth:Europe|Europe]] and [[Place:Central Asia|Central Asia]]
|Subtropical, Temperate
|
|-
|[[Biology:Medicago|Medicago]]
|''[[Biology:Alfalfa|M. sativa]]'': Alfalfa
|Central Asia
|Subtropical, Temperate
|
|-
|[[Biology:Melilotus|Melilotus]]
|''[[Biology:Melilotus officinalis|M. officinalis]]'': Sweet Clover
|Europe and Central Asia
|Subtropical, Temperate
|Contains [[Chemistry:Coumarin|Coumarin]]s, an important class of  perfume ingredients. Coumarin is also a blood thinner. 
|-
|Tamarindus
|''[[Biology:Tamarind|T. indica]]:'' Tamarind
|Africa
|Tropical, Subtropical
|
|}

===Bean seed storage===
As of 2023, the Norwegian [[Biology:Svalbard Global Seed Vault|Svalbard Global Seed Vault]] holds more than 40,000 [[Social:Accession number (cultural property)|accessions]] of ''Phaseolus'' bean species.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.seedvault.no/about/the-seeds/|title=The seeds|publisher=Svalbard Global Seed Vault, Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture and Food|date=2023|accessdate=5 November 2023}}</ref>

==Properties==
===Nutrition===
{{nutritional value
| name=Green beans, raw
| water=90.3 g
| kcal=31
| protein=1.83 g
| fat=0.22 g
| carbs=6.97 g
| fiber=2.7 g
| sugars=3.26 g
| calcium_mg=37
| iron_mg=1.03
| magnesium_mg=25
| phosphorus_mg=38
| potassium_mg=211
| sodium_mg=6
| zinc_mg=0.24
| manganese_mg=
| vitC_mg=12.2
| thiamin_mg=0.082
| riboflavin_mg=0.104
| niacin_mg=0.734
| pantothenic_mg=
| vitB6_mg=0.141
| folate_ug=33
| choline_mg=
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2345289/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry, FoodData Central]
}}
Raw green beans are 90% water, 7% [[Chemistry:Carbohydrate|carbohydrate]]s, 2% [[Biology:Protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contain negligible [[Chemistry:Fat|fat]] (table). In a {{convert|100|g|oz}} reference serving, raw green beans supply 31 [[Calorie|calorie]]s of food energy, and are a moderate source (10-19% of the Daily Value, DV) of [[Biology:Vitamin C|vitamin C]] (15% DV) and [[Biology:Vitamin B6|vitamin B6]] (11% DV), with no other micronutrients in significant content (table).

===Antinutrients===
Many types of bean like kidney bean contain significant amounts of antinutrients that inhibit some enzyme processes in the body. [[Chemistry:Phytic acid|Phytic acid]] and phytates, present in grains, nuts, seeds and beans, interfere with bone growth and interrupt [[Chemistry:Vitamin D|vitamin D]] metabolism. Pioneering work on the effect of phytic acid was done by Edward Mellanby from 1939.<ref>{{cite journal |pmc=1264631 |pmid=16747083 |volume=33 |issue=10 |title=Phytic acid and the rickets-producing action of cereals |date=October 1939 |journal=Biochem. J. |pages=1660–1680.1 |last1=Harrison |first1=DC |last2=Mellanby |first2=E |doi=10.1042/bj0331660}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/living-with-phytic-acid/ |title=Living With Phytic Acid - Weston A Price |newspaper=The Weston A Price Foundation |date=26 March 2010 |author=Ramiel Nagel |access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref>

===Health concerns===

====Toxins====
{{Main|Biology:Phytohaemagglutinin|Biology:Soybean agglutinin}}
Some kinds of raw beans contain a harmful, tasteless toxin: the [[Biology:Lectin|lectin]] [[Biology:Phytohaemagglutinin|phytohaemagglutinin]], which must be removed by cooking. Red [[Biology:Kidney bean|kidney bean]]s are particularly toxic, but other types also pose risks of food poisoning. Many types of beans contain lectins, and kidney beans have the highest concentrations – especially red kidney beans. As few as 4 or 5 raw beans can cause severe stomachache, vomiting and diarrhoea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Natural toxins in food |url=https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/natural-toxins-in-food |access-date=2022-04-07 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}</ref> A recommended method is to boil the beans for at least ten minutes; under-cooked beans may be more toxic than raw beans.<ref name=FDA>{{cite web |publisher=United States [[Organization:Food and Drug Administration|Food and Drug Administration]] |access-date=11 July 2009 |url=https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071092.htm |title=Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Phytohaemagglutinin |work=Bad Bug Book |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709183309/https://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodborneIllness/FoodborneIllnessFoodbornePathogensNaturalToxins/BadBugBook/ucm071092.htm |archive-date=9 July 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Cooking beans, without bringing them to a boil, in a [[Engineering:Slow cooker|slow cooker]] at a temperature well below boiling may not destroy toxins.<ref name=FDA /> A case of poisoning by [[Biology:Lima bean|butter beans]] used to make falafel was reported; the beans were used instead of traditional [[Biology:Broad bean|broad bean]]s or [[Biology:Chickpea|chickpea]]s, soaked and ground without boiling, made into patties, and shallow fried.<ref name=falafel>{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/beware-of-the-beans-how-beans-can-be-a-surprising-source-of-food-poisoning-931862.html |title=Beware of the beans: How beans can be a surprising source of food poisoning |newspaper=The Independent |date=15 September 2008 |author=Vicky Jones |access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref>

Bean poisoning is not well known in the medical community, and many cases may be misdiagnosed or never reported; figures appear not to be available. In the case of the UK National Poisons Information Service, available only to health professionals, the dangers of beans other than red beans were not flagged {{As of|2008|lc=y}}.<ref name=falafel/>

Fermentation is used in some parts of Africa to improve the nutritional value of beans by removing toxins. Inexpensive fermentation improves the nutritional impact of flour from dry beans and improves digestibility, according to research co-authored by Emire Shimelis, from the Food Engineering Program at Addis Ababa University.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Shimelis |first1=Emire Admassu |last2=Rakshit |first2=Sudip Kumar |date=2008 |title=Influence of natural and controlled fermentations on α-galactosides, antinutrients and protein digestibility of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) |journal=International Journal of Food Science & Technology |language=en |volume=43 |issue=4 |pages=658–665 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01506.x |issn=1365-2621}}</ref> Beans are a major source of dietary [[Biology:Protein (nutrient)|protein]] in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.<ref>Summary: [http://www.scidev.net/fr/climate-change-and-energy/tsunami/news/actualit-s-d-afrique-sub-saharienne-en-bref-du-25-.html Fermentation 'improves nutritional value of beans'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522113641/http://www.scidev.net/fr/climate-change-and-energy/tsunami/news/actualit-s-d-afrique-sub-saharienne-en-bref-du-25-.html |date=22 May 2013 }} (Sub Saharan Africa page, Science and Development Network website). Paper: [https://archive.today/20130105080106/http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119409208/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0 Influence of natural and controlled fermentations on α-galactosides, antinutrients and protein digestibility of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)]</ref>

====Bacterial infection from bean sprouts====
It is common to make beansprouts by letting some types of bean, often [[Biology:Mung bean|mung bean]]s, germinate in moist and warm conditions; beansprouts may be used as ingredients in cooked dishes, or eaten raw or lightly cooked. There have been many outbreaks of disease from bacterial contamination, often by ''[[Biology:Salmonella|salmonella]]'', ''[[Biology:Listeria|listeria]]'', and ''[[Biology:Escherichia coli|Escherichia coli]]'',  of beansprouts not thoroughly cooked,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/types/fruits/sprouts.html |title=Sprouts: What You Should Know |newspaper=Foodsafety.gov |access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref> some causing significant mortality.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/activities/sciadvice/_layouts/forms/Review_DispForm.aspx?ID=602&List=a3216f4c%2Df040%2D4f51%2D9f77%2Da96046dbfd72 |title=Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC): Update on outbreak in the EU (27 July 2011, 11:00) |website=European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control |date=2011-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170315061038/http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/activities/sciadvice/_layouts/forms/Review_DispForm.aspx?ID=602&List=a3216f4c%2Df040%2D4f51%2D9f77%2Da96046dbfd72 |archive-date=2017-03-15}}</ref>

==Flatulence==

Many edible beans, including broad beans, navy beans, kidney beans and soybeans, contain [[Chemistry:Oligosaccharide|oligosaccharide]]s (particularly [[Chemistry:Raffinose|raffinose]] and [[Chemistry:Stachyose|stachyose]]), a type of sugar molecule also found in [[Biology:Cabbage|cabbage]]. An anti-oligosaccharide [[Biology:Enzyme|enzyme]] is necessary to properly digest these sugar molecules. As a normal human digestive tract does not contain any anti-oligosaccharide enzymes, consumed oligosaccharides are typically digested by [[Biology:Bacteria|bacteria]] in the large intestine. This digestion process produces gases, such as methane as a byproduct, which are then released as [[Medicine:Flatulence|flatulence]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4943486.stm |title=Health &#124; Experts make flatulence-free bean |work=BBC News |date=25 April 2006 |access-date=25 February 2009| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090331165557/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4943486.stm| archive-date= 31 March 2009 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Flatulence/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages/What-is-it.aspx |title=Flatulence – Overview – Introduction |publisher=Nhs.uk |access-date=25 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221200429/http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/flatulence/Pages/Introduction.aspx?url=Pages%2FWhat-is-it.aspx |archive-date=21 February 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Harold McGee |title=Food and Cooking |page=486 |quote=Many legumes, especially soy, navy and lima beans, cause a sudden increase in bacterial activity and gas production a few hours after they're consumed. This is because they contain large amounts of carbohydrates that human digestive enzymes can't convert into absorbable sugars. These carbohydrates therefore leave the upper intestine unchanged and enter the lower reaches, where our resident bacterial population does the job we are unable to do. |publisher=Simon & Schuster |year=2003 |isbn=978-0684843285}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Peter Barham |title=The Science of Cooking |page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9783540674665/page/14 14] |quote=we do not possess any enzymes that are capable of breaking down larger sugars, such as raffinose etc. These 3, 4 and 5 ring sugars are made by plants especially as part of the energy storage system in seeds and beans. If these sugars are ingested, they can't be broken down in the intestines; rather, they travel into the colon, where various bacteria digest them – and in the process produce copious amounts of carbon dioxide gas |year=2001 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3-540-67466-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9783540674665/page/14}}</ref>

==Production==
[[File:Lablab bean and bean flowers.JPG|thumb|Lablab in West Bengal|alt=Lablab bean and bean flower cultivated in West Bengal]]
The production data for legumes are published by FAO in three categories:
# Pulses dry: all mature and dry seeds of leguminous plants except soybeans and groundnuts.
# Oil crops: soybeans and groundnuts.
# Fresh vegetable: immature green fresh fruits of leguminous plants.

The following is a summary of FAO data.<ref>FAO STAT [http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QC Production/Crops].</ref>

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Production of legumes (million metric tons) 
!Crops<br>[FAO code]<ref>See {{slink|Legume#Classification}}.</ref>
!1961
!1981
!2001
!2015
!2016
!Ratio<br><small>2016 /1961</small>
!Remarks
|-
|Total pulses (dry) [1726]
|40.78
|41.63
|56.23
|77.57
|81.80
|2.01
|{{left}} Per capita production had decreased.<br>(Population increase was 2.4×)
|-
! colspan="8" |Oil crops (dry)
|-
|Soybeans [236]
|26.88
|88.53
|177.02
|323.20
|334.89
|12.46
|{{left}} Drastic increase driven by the demand for animal feeds and oil.
|-
|Groundnuts, with shell [242]
|14.13
|20.58
|35.82
|45.08
|43.98
|3.11
|
|-
! colspan="8" |Fresh vegetables (80–90% water)
|-
|Beans, green [414]
|2.63
|4.09
|10.92
|23.12
|23.60
|8.96
|
|-
|Peas, green [417]
|3.79
|5.66
|12.41
|19.44
|19.88
|5.25
|
|}

Main crops of "Pulses, Total (dry)" are "Beans, dry [176]" 26.83 million tons, "Peas, dry [187]" 14.36 million tons, "Chick peas [191]" 12.09 million tons, "Cow peas [195]" 6.99 million tons, "Lentils [201]" 6.32 million tons, "Pigeon peas [197]" 4.49 million tons, "Broad beans, horse beans [181]" 4.46 million tons. In general, the consumption of pulses per capita has been decreasing since 1961. Exceptions are lentils and cowpeas.
[[File:Bean Flower in Bangladesh.jpg|thumb|Jamalpur|alt=Flower in Jamalpur]]
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Top producers, pulses, total [1726]<ref>All legumes dry.</ref><br>(million metric tons)
|-
!
!Country
!2016
!Share
!Remarks
|-
|
!Total
!81.80
!100%
!
|-
|1
|India
|17.56
|21.47%
|
|-
|2
|Canada
|8.20
|10.03%
|
|-
|3
|Myanmar
|6.57
|8.03%
|
|-
|4
|China
|4.23
|5.17%
|
|-
|5
|Nigeria
|3.09
|3.78%
|
|-
|6
|Russia
|2.94
|3.60%
|
|-
|7
|Ethiopia
|2.73
|3.34%
|
|-
|8
|Brazil
|2.62
|3.21%
|
|-
|9
|Australia
|2.52
|3.09%
|
|-
|10
|USA
|2.44
|2.98%
|
|-
|11
|Niger
|2.06
|2.51%
|
|-
|12
|Tanzania
|2.00
|2.45%
|
|-
|
|Others
|24.82
|30.34%
|
|}

The world leader in production of dry beans (''[[Biology:Phaseolus|Phaseolus]]'' spp),<ref>Dry beans does not include broad beans, dry peas, chickpea, lentil.</ref> is India, followed by Myanmar (Burma) and Brazil. In Africa, the most important producer is Tanzania.<ref name=FAODEF>FAO [http://www.fao.org/es/faodef/fdef04e.htm Pulses and Derived Products] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151207071652/http://www.fao.org/es/faodef/fdef04e.htm |date=7 December 2015 }}.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Top ten dry beans (Phaseolus spp) producers, 2020
|-
! Country
! Production<br>([[Tonne|tonne]]s)
! Footnote
|-
| {{IND}}||align=right|5,460,000||align=right|F
|-
| {{MMR}}||align=right|3,053,012||align=right|
|-
| {{BRA}}||align=right|3,035,290||align=right|A
|-
| {{USA}}||align=right|1,495,180||align=right|*
|-
| {{CHN}}||align=right|1,281,586||align=right|
|-
| {{TAN}}||align=right|1,267,648||align=right|F
|-
| {{MEX}}||align=right|1,056,071||align=right|
|-
| {{KEN}}||align=right|774,366||align=right|F
|-
| {{ARG}}||align=right|633,823||align=right|*
|-
| {{UGA}}||align=right|603,980||align=right|
|-
| {{noflag}}'''World'''||align=right|'''27,545,942'''||align=right|'''A'''
|}
No symbol = official figure, P = official figure, F = FAO estimate, * = unofficial/semi-official/mirror data, C = calculated figure A = aggregate (may include official, semi-official or estimates)

''Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancor |title=Major Food And Agricultural Commodities And Producers – Countries By Commodity |publisher=Fao.org |access-date=2 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906230329/http://faostat.fao.org/site/567/DesktopDefault.aspx?PageID=567#ancor |archive-date=6 September 2015 |df=dmy}}</ref>

==See also==
* Baked beans
* Jelly beans
* [[Biology:Mexican jumping bean|Mexican jumping bean]]
* List of bean soups
** Fassoulada – a bean soup
* [[Biology:List of edible seeds|List of edible seeds]]
* List of legume dishes
* Beans, Beans, the Musical Fruit

== References ==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name=Chazan>{{cite book |last=Chazan |first=Michael |title=World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time |year=2008 |publisher=Pearson Education, Inc. |isbn=978-0-205-40621-0}}</ref>}}

== Bibliography ==
*{{cite book |author=Kaplan, Lawrence |chapter=Legumes in the History of Human Nutrition |editor1=DuBois, Christine |editor2=Tan, Chee-Beng |editor3=Mintz, Sidney |title=The World of Soy |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tW6fjds6YwkC&pg=PA27 |access-date=18 December 2012 |year=2008 |publisher=NUS Press |isbn=978-9971-69-413-5 |pages=27–}}

==External links==
* [http://siris-archives.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=119C6813C8S25.9800&profile=all&source=~!siarchives&view=subscriptionsummary&uri=full=3100001~!179119~!1&ri=21&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ipp=20&spp=20&staffonly=&term=bickley&index=.TW&uindex=&aspect=Keyword&menu=search&ri=21 Everett H. Bickley Collection, 1919–1980] Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20051225193340/http://www.discovery.com/area/skinnyon/skinnyon970815/skinnyon.html Discovery Online: The Skinny On Why Beans Give You Gas]
* [https://www.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.2006.01506.x Fermentation improves nutritional value of beans]
* [http://www.foodsubs.com/Beans.html Cook's Thesaurus on Beans]


[[Category:Plant common names]]

{{Sourceattribution|Bean}}