Phaseolus polystachios is the only wild bean species in the northern hemisphere. It has a perennial life cycle, and depending on the accessions, it can have great resistance to cold since its distribution area extends to Canada.

These natural populations are rare.

Its closest relative is P. lunatus, the lima bean, a perennial species grown for its very large beans in the tropical countries of South America. And occasionally grown as an annual in the northern hemisphere.  

A few cases of hybridization between these two species have been reported in the scientific literature. The main challenge in obtaining hybrids is to match the flowering periods of these two species. Since the autumn flowering of P. polystachios occurs when P. lunatus generally no longer bears flowers.

Be careful, the pods dehisce and expel the seeds when fully ripe, harvest the pods as soon as they reach maturity: when the seeds tinkle when you tap the pods with your fingertip.

Accession PP#2, acquired from: The Garden of the Set, was eliminated from the catalog for its too late flowering, which began in September. This accession was therefore not cultivable in areas with mild climates or short seasons because the plants were destroyed by frost before the seeds matured at the end of November.

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PP#1:

Accession collected in the State of Louisiana, United States of America.  

Accession acquired by Joran's Seeds and Research, in 2023, from Iwona Ziółkowska and Wojciech Maksymilian Szymański, Polish collectors of rare plants and sellers on eBay under the identifier: lupinaster

Its seeds, smaller in size than accession #2, are brown in color.

The pods contain 3 to 4 seeds.

They germinate perfectly without scarification. Also making them suitable for cooking.

Its flowers begin to bloom at the beginning of August. And the pods are harvested dry during the month of October.

Its stems are thick, hard and robust. The stems, leaf veins, and pods are purple in color.

This accession has great potential for domestication and its earlier flowering favors its hybridization with Phaseolus lunatus.