Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris), although immature or young pods of the runner bean ( Phaseolus coccineus), yardlong bean ( Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), and hyacinth bean ( Lablab purpureus) are used in a similar way. Green beans are known by many common names, including French beans, string beans (although most modern varieties are "stringless"), and snap beans or simply "snaps."Singh BK and Singh B. 2015. Breeding perspectives of snap bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Vegetable Science 42(1): 1-17. In the Philippines, they are also known as "Baguio beans" or "habichuelas" to distinguish them from yardlong beans.
They are distinguished from the many other varieties of beans in that green beans are harvested and consumed with their enclosing pods before the bean seeds inside have fully matured. An analogous practice is the harvest and consumption of unripened pea pods, as is done with or sugar snap peas.
A dish with green beans common throughout the northern US, particularly at Thanksgiving, is green bean casserole, a dish of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and Fried onion.
Bush beans are short plants, growing to not more than in height, often without requiring supports. They generally reach maturity and produce all of their fruit in a relatively short period, then cease to produce. Owing to this concentrated production and ease of mechanized harvesting, bush-type beans are those most often grown on commercial farms. Bush green beans are usually cultivars of the common bean ( Phaseolus vulgaris).
Pole beans have a climbing habit and produce a twisting vine, which must be supported by "poles," trellises, or other means. Pole beans may be common beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris), runner beans ( Phaseolus coccineus) or yardlong beans ( Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis).
Half-runner beans have both bush and pole characteristics, and are sometimes classified separately from bush and pole varieties. Their runners can be about long.
The three most commonly known types of green beans belonging to the species Phaseolus vulgaris are string or snap beans, which may be round or have a flat pod; stringless or French beans, which lack a tough, fibrous string running along the length of the pod; and runner beans, which belong to a separate species, Phaseolus coccineus. Green beans may have a purple rather than green pod, which changes to green when cooked. Yellow-podded green beans are also known as wax beans. Wax bean cultivars are commonly of the bush or dwarf form.
All of the following varieties have green pods and are Phaseolus vulgaris unless otherwise specified:
18.0 | |
0.9 | |
0.6 | |
0.5 | |
0.3 | |
23.3 | |
Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations |
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