Bumblebee
Bumblebee | |
---|---|
Uses | shell or dry |
Growth Habit | bush |
Maturity | mid to late |
Flower Color | white |
Pod Color | green |
Seed Color | white and dark red |
Seed Pattern | figure and seam |
Name and History
A Maine heirloom and part of Wanigan Associates' collection. Named for its large, "bumblee-sized" seeds.
Seed bank info:
USDA Accession: 'Bumblebee' (W6 28421)
SSE Accession: BEAN/BUSH/DRY 13
Description
Growth:
Bush plants under 2 feet tall. Various growers report a rather large range of 60-110 days to harvest, but the average seems to be 90 days.
Flowers:
White.
Pods:
Up to 5 inches long with 3-5 seeds in each.
Seeds:
Very large in both shell and dry stages. Fat and oval-shaped. Seeds mostly white with a very dark red figure around the hilum, in a shape described variously as a butterfly, angel or lobster. A dark red line extends along the midline of the seed from above the "head" of the shape. There can be almost none or quite a lot of dark red spotting around the edges of the figure and line.
Looks very similar to the Holy/Monstrance, Angel, and Soldier beans of Europe and New Zealand, but is a different shape than any of those; not as spherical as Holy and Monstrance, and not as thin as Angel and Soldier.
Uses
Shell or dry.