Fabaceae FAMILY

Phaseolus filiformis

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

We have seen no specific reports for this species, but the mature seed of most, if not all, members of this genus contain various anti-nutritional factors. Soaking the seeds, discarding the water and then boiling them and discarding the water will remove these toxins and render the seeds safe and nutritious^[PFAF].

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual Climber

Growth—

Phaseolus filiformis is a plant of semi-arid to arid regions of the subtropical regions of southwestern USA and northern Mexico. Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Grows in the wild on clay soils, or silty to sandy, rock, and frequently alluvial loams from basalt, volcanic ash or limestone rocks^[1]. Some forms of the plant are very tolerant of saline soils^[1]. Plants are highly drought resistant^[2]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby^[3].

Propagation

Like many species within the family Fabaceae, once they have ripened and dried the seeds of this species may benefit from scarification before sowing in order to speed up and improve germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing^[PFAF]. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Phaseolus+filiformis>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

[1]Taxonomy, Distribution, and Ecology of the Genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and — Freytag G.F. & Debouck D.G. · Botanical Researeh Institute of Texas · 2002 · http://www.brit.org/sida · ISBN 1-889878-11-1 ↩︎An excellent, detailed study of the genus Phaseolus, it has been made available on-line as an open access document.
[2]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
[3]Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy — United States Department of Agriculture · http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en ↩︎An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
[4]Flora of SW Arizona — University of Arizona Herbarium · https://cals.arizona.edu/herbarium/content/flora-sw-arizona ↩︎An excellent flora, published on-line in PDF format
[PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎