Leaf
Puusterke, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
French bean
Phaseolus vulgaris L.
Also known as: Common bean, Green bean, Kidney bean
Family: Fabaceae
40 cm (dwarf) to over 2 m (pole) depending on variety
Grown in vegetable gardens, warm, free-draining soils
Flowering: June – August
Full sun
Not hardy, very frost-sensitive, grown as an annual
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Raw beans are toxic — a few raw seeds are enough to cause poisoning, whereas thorough cooking completely eliminates the risk.
🍃 Leaves
Compound, trifoliate, with large oval leaflets
🌸 Flowers
White, pink or purplish depending on variety, pea-type
🍎 Fruits
Elongated pod, green, yellow or mottled depending on variety, containing several seeds
🪵 Bark
Climbing herbaceous stem (pole bean) or dwarf, depending on variety
🗺️ Distribution
Native to Central America; cultivated throughout France
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flowers mainly self-pollinating, not very dependent on pollinators but visited by bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Major vegetable legume, grown for its pods (green bean) or its dried seeds depending on variety
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Pods and seeds edible once cooked; raw seeds contain phasin, which is toxic and destroyed by cooking
🌿 Other Fabaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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