Growing Food: A Guide to Food Production

LIMITATIONS

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Lima Bean

Phaseolus lunatus (Syn. P. limensis, P. inamoenus)

Porco) are Portuguese names for the common jackbean (Canavalia ensiformis).

The Lima Bean is also described as Feijão de Porco in Brazil.

**Chitanga is often used in Angola to describe any type of climbing bean

The Lima Bean is widely grown in Central and South America, North America and

Canada and many parts of Asia, especially Burma. Lima beans are one of the major

food legumes in the humid rain forests of Africa and Madagascar. It is generally a

tropical and lowland species, and needs a hot growing season.

There are two main types:

• Pole (climbing) varieties—twining, perennial herbs which either trail along the
  ground or are grown up supports. Can grow 2–4 metres in length. Long growth
  period.

Botanists sometimes divide the Lima bean into two separate species, Phaseolus

limensis—the Lima bean, mainly perennial but cultivated as annuals, both pole and

bush types, with large normally white seed, and Phaseolus lunatus, the Sieva bean,

an annual with smaller, coloured seed, and which is more tolerant of drought and

high temperatures.

However these two species (so-called) cross pollinate readily, and both display

all forms of growth habit, seed size and colour, etc., so the Lima bean is best

considered as one species, Phaseolus lunatus.

*Feijão Espada (also known as Feijão de Cobra, Feijão Holandês and Feijão de

• Bush varieties—developed by selection of appropriate mutations during culti-
  vation to be annuals 30–90 cm tall. Can mature in 60–70 days.

174 TONY WINCH

Lentil plants are very susceptible to diseases.

There is a lack of well adapted varieties, even modern ones being unsatisfactory

with regard to both disease resistance and yield.

As human food the lentil has a certain notoriety regarding flatulence.

Sieva Bean (small, coloured seeds), Madagascar Bean, Butter Bean, Burma Bean,
Curry Bean, Rangoon Bean, Sugar Bean, Towe, Potato Limas; Pois Amer, Pois de
Sept Ans, Haricot de Lima, Haricot du Cap, Haricot du Kissi (French); Limabohne,
Mondbohne (German); Judión, Judía de Lima, Poroto de Manteca (Spanish); Feijão
de Lima (Portuguese); Abangbang, Chuku (Uganda); Feijão Espadinho*, Chitanga
** (Angola); Roaj (Sudan); Habichuela (also for Haricot Bean), Sibatse Simaron,
Tagalo Patani, Zabache (Philippines); Tua Rachamat (Thailand); Lobyan (Pashto)