Phaseolus coccineus

Phaseolus coccineus (runner bean) seed for vigorous climbers with showy flowers and long, tender pods. Heavy-cropping, bee-friendly legume — sow after frost on tall supports.
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Phaseolus coccineus — runner bean

Phaseolus coccineus is the botanical name for the runner bean, a vigorous climbing legume (Fabaceae) grown for its long, flavoursome pods and showy flowers. It is the species behind our runner bean range and one of the most productive climbers in our wider legume collection.

History & origin

The runner bean comes from the cool highlands of Central America, especially Mexico and Guatemala, where it has been cultivated for thousands of years and grows as a true perennial from a fleshy root. It reached Europe in the 17th century and was at first grown purely as an ornamental for its brilliant scarlet flowers, only later becoming the kitchen-garden staple it is today, particularly in Britain and the Netherlands. The genus name Phaseolus is the classical Latin for a bean, while coccineus means scarlet, for those vivid blooms.

Botanical characteristics

Phaseolus coccineus is a strong twining climber that can reach two to three metres in a season, clothed in heart-shaped leaves and, classically, vivid scarlet flowers (white and bicolour forms also exist) that are a magnet for bees. The flowers give way to long, often roughened green pods that are eaten whole while young and tender. Unusually among beans it can be grown as a short-lived perennial, with tubers that may resprout, and its nectar-rich flowers make it as valuable to pollinators as to the kitchen.

Growing Phaseolus coccineus from seed

Runner beans are tender, so sow once frost has passed — either direct or started in pots under cover for an early start — and give them a tall, sturdy support of canes or netting to climb. They are hungry and thirsty: rich soil and regular watering keep the flowers setting and the pods coming. Pick often and young to keep plants cropping for weeks. Our vegetable growing guide covers the basics, and the vegetable sowing calendar shows the sowing windows.

Ready for a tall screen of flowers and a heavy crop of beans? Browse the varieties below.

Related categories: Runner Bean · Legumes · Green Beans · Broad Bean · All Vegetables

At SeedsChoice, every order ships from Meppel, NL with fast, tracked EU delivery.

What is the difference between runner beans and French beans?
Runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are vigorous perennial climbers from cool highlands with showy flowers and longer, often rougher pods. French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) are usually annuals grown as climbing or dwarf types. When should I sow runner beans?
They are frost-tender, so sow after the last frost — either direct or started in pots under cover a few weeks earlier and planted out once it is warm. Why are my runner bean flowers not setting pods?
Dry soil and hot, dry air are the usual causes. Keep the roots well watered and the plants cropping by picking regularly, and bees will do the pollinating. How tall do runner beans grow?
Most reach two to three metres, so give them sturdy canes, a wigwam or netting to climb; dwarf varieties stay compact and need no support.