How to Plant and Grow Scarlet Runner Beans Phaseolus coccineus
Loved by gardeners for both their ornamental and edible qualities, scarlet runner beans have bright red flowers that attract pollinators in addition to the edible pods and beans.
Plus, these climbing plants have some advantages over regular pole beans and there are many different cultivars you can grow!
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With bright red blooms, these legumes are a gorgeous annual option for creating climbing screens and covering trellises – and they also have edible pods, seeds, flowers, and roots.
Ready to learn how to grow these red-flowered legumes? Here’s what we’ll cover:
What Are Scarlet Runner Beans?Scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are vining plants that produce edible green pods and bright red flowers.
Vines can reach seven feet long – or more – and are covered with alternate leaves, each of which is made up of three spade-shaped leaflets. These leaves are edible.
The seeds inside the pods are gorgeous and can be eaten both fresh, when they are shades of purple or lavender, and once they mature to a dark blueish-black hue mottled with purple or light brown. Some varieties have white seeds.
Before pods set, however, the vines are covered with eye-catching blooms in a bright scarlet hue – red with an orangish tint.
Some varieties have white, pink, or purple colored flowers.
Cultivation and HistoryP. coccineus is native to Mexico and Central America. It grows in its native range at mid to high elevations where nights are cool, and in a wide range of open habitats.
This leguminous species has been used for food by humans for at least 5500 years,
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