bean1 (ben)

[ long pods by a leguminous plant, Vicia Faba; now extended to include the seed of the allied genus Phaseolus, and, with a specific epithet, of other genera.-2. The plant producing beans. The bean known to the ancients from prehistoric times was the Vicia Faba (or Faba vulgar is ), a native of western Asia, and the same as the field-, horse-, or tick bean, and the broad or Windsor bean, still largely cultivated in the fields and gardens of the old world. It is used when green as a table-vegetable, and when dry as feed for horses and sheep. The numerous other kinds of cultivated beans are of American origin, and belong chiefly to the genus Phaseolus. To P. vulgar is belong the common kidney-bean, and the haricot and French beans, the string-bean, and the pole-bean; to P. lunatus, the Lima and Carolina beans, the sugar-bean, and the butter-bean; and to P. nan us, the dwarf, field-, bush-, navy-, pea-, and six-weeks beans. To the same genus belong the wild kid ney-bean, P. perennis; the scarlet-runner bean, P. multi flor us, cultivated for its scarlet flowers; and the prairie be an of Texas, P. retusus. The asparagus-bean, Dolichos sesquipedal is, with very long cylindrical pods, frequently cultivated in Europe, is a native of tropical America. Beans as an article of food are very nutritious, containing much starch and a large percentage of a nitrogenous compound called legumin, analogous to the casein in seeds which are not cultivated or used as food, such as cheese. The name bean is also given to many leguminous the algarroba, Calabar, and coral beans, and to certain other plants and their seeds which are not leguminous at all, as the coffee -bean. IMG:content-1791.png:[blocks in formation]