Lima bean, sieva bean, butter bean
Family Leguminosae: Papilionaceae (or Fabaceae)
Phaseolus lunatus (= Phaseolus limensis, = Phaseolus inamoenus), lima bean, sieva bean, butter bean (P. lunatus 1), is a twining perennial herb, 2-4 m long, sometimes grown as a bushy annual, with compound trifoliate leaves and pale green flowers, borne in axillary racemes. The pods are oblong, 5-12 cm long (P. lunatus 2), containing 2-4 seeds, variable in shape and colour: white, cream, red (P. lunatus 3), purple, brown or black.
Distribution
The lima bean is of Central and South American origin and was known as early as about 5500 BC as excavations in Peru have shown. Distribution throughout the tropics is only from post-Columbian times. The Spaniards took it to the Philippines and from there it spread to Asia. The slave trade took the lima bean from Brazil to Africa.
Use
Today the lima bean is the main pulse crop in the wet tropics of Africa. The beans are cooked as a vegetable. In the US they are grown for canning and freezing.