Phaseolus


Phaseolus is a genus of herbaceous to woody annual and perennial vines in the family Fabaceae containing about 70 plant species, all native to the Americas, primarily Mesoamerica.
It is one of the most economically important legume genera. Five of the species have been domesticated since pre-Columbian times for their beans: P. acutifolius, P. coccineus, P. dumosus, P. lunatus, and P. vulgaris. Most prominent among these is the common bean, P. vulgaris, which today is cultivated worldwide in tropical, semitropical, and temperate climates.

Ecology

Phaseolus species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including common swift, garden dart, ghost moth Hypercompe albicornis, H. icasia and the nutmeg.

Etymology

The generic name Phaseolus was introduced by Linnaeus in 1753, borrowed from the Latin phaseolus a combination of phasēlus and the diminutive suffix , in turn borrowed from Greek φάσηλος 'cowpea'. This term is often incorrectly glossed as 'kidney bean', a New World crop, but the word's ultimate origin is unknown.

Taxonomy

Previous classifications placed a number of other well-known legume species in this genus, but they were subsequently reassigned to the genus Vigna, sometimes necessitating a change of species name. For example, older literature refers to the mung bean as Phaseolus aureus, whereas more modern sources classify it as Vigna radiata. Similarly, the snail bean Vigna caracalla was discovered in 1753 and in 1970 moved from Phaseolus to Vigna. The modern understanding of Phaseolus indicates a genus endemic only to the New World.

Species

Species have been organized into eight groups based on phylogenetic clades:
Filiformis group
Leptostachyus group
Lunatus group
Pauciflorus group
Pedicellatus group
Polystachios group
Tuerckheimii group
Vulgaris group
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