Taxon: Phaseolus lunatus L.

Summary

Genus:

Phaseolus

Section:

Paniculati

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Faboideae

Tribe:

Phaseoleae

Subtribe:

Phaseolinae

Nomen number:

27591

Place of publication:

Sp. pl. 2:724. 1753

Protologue link:

https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358745

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

08/16/2010 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

2673 (2278 active, 700 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Phaseolus lunatus L. var. lunatus

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Phaseolus falcatus Benth. ex Hemsl., nom. nud.
Phaseolus inamoenus L.
Phaseolus limensis Macfad.
Phaseolus lunatus L. var. macrocarpus (Moench) Benth.
Phaseolus lunatus L. var. silvester Baudet
Phaseolus macrocarpus Moench
Phaseolus rosei Piper
Phaseolus tunkinensis Lour.

Images (1 total. Click on image for more.)

Links

Seeds or fruits – Seed ID Workshop image, from Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio State University

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

PROTABASE, the information base of PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa) (on-line resource).
Adams, C. 1972. Flowering plants of Jamaica
Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Andueza-Noh, R. H. et al. 2013. Multiple domestications of the Mesoamerican gene pool of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.): evidence from chloroplast DNA sequences. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 60:1069-1086.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Aubréville, A. et al., eds. 1960-. Flore du Cambodge du Laos et du Viet-Nam.
Ballhorn, D. J. et al. 2010. Direct trade-off between cyanogenesis and resistance to a fungal pathogen in lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.). J. Ecol. 98:226-236. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2745.2009.01591.x.
Beyra, A. & G. Reyes Artiles. 2004. Revisión taxonómica de los géneros Phaseolus y Vigna (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) en Cuba. Anales Jard. Bot. Madrid 61:138-139.
Boggan, J. et al. 1997. Checklist of the plants of the Guianas, ed. 2
Budanova, V. I. & N. R. Ivanov. 1973. K sistematike roda Phaseolus L. (To the sistematics of the genus Phaseolus L.). Trudy Prikl. Bot. 51:29.
Caicedo, A. L. et al. 1999. AFLP fingerprinting of Phaseolus lunatus L. and related wild species from South America. Crop Sci. (Madison) 39:1497-1507.
Chacón-Sánchez, M. I. & J. Martínez-Castillo. 2017. Testing domestication scenarios of Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) in Mesoamerica: Insights from genome-wide genetic markers. Front. Plant Sci. 8:1551. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01551.
Debouck, D. G. et al. 1989. Observations on little-known Phaseolus germplasm of Ecuador. Pl. Genet. Resources Newslett. 80:15-21.
Delgado-Salinas, A. et al. 2006. Phylogeny of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae): a recent diversification in an ancient landscape. Syst. Bot. 31:779-791. www.aspt.net/systematic-botany
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Duke, J. A. 1981. Handbook of legumes of world economic importance
Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
Félix, D. T. et al. 2014. Wild to crop introgression and genetic diversity in Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) in traditional Mayan milpas from Mexico. Conservation Genet. 15:1315-1328. DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0619-7.
Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
Garcia, T. et al. 2021. Comprehensive genomic resources related to domestication and crop improvement traits in Lima bean. Nat. Commun. 12:702. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-20921-1.
Gutiérrez-Salgado, A. et al. 1995. Evidence for two gene pools of the Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L., in the Americas. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:15-28.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares. Note: as Phaseolus lunatus var. sylvester
International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.
Leitão, H. F. 1974. Contribuição ao estudo taxonômico do gênero Phaseolus L. no Brasil. Bragantia 33:62.
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Lewis, G. P. 1987. Legumes of Bahia
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Lira, R. et al., eds. 2016. Ethnobotany of Mexico Springer, New York, US. 89.
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: 1936-1971; new ser. 1980-
Maesen, L. J. G. van der & Sadikin Somaatmadja, eds. 1989. Pulses. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 1:57.
Maquet, A. et al. 1999. Phylogenetic study on wild allies of Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus (Fabaceae), and implications on its origin. Pl. Syst. Evol. 218:43-54.
Maréchal, R. et al. 1978. Étude taxonomique d'un groupe complexe d'espèces des genres Phaseolus et Vigna (Papilionaceae) sur la base données morphologiques et polliniques, traitées par l'analyse informatique. Boissiera 28:145.
Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:116.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
Pulle, A. A. et al., eds. 1932-. Flora of Suriname.
Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
Silva, V. B. et al. 2015. Genetic diversity and promising crosses indication in lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) accessions. Semina: Ciências Agrárias 36:683-692. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n2p683.
Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 259.
Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala.
Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	butter bean	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Lima bean	1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
English	Sieva bean	1	Duke, J. A. 1981. Handbook of legumes of world economic importance
English	sugar bean	1	Duke, J. A. 1981. Handbook of legumes of world economic importance
French	haricot de Lima	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	haricot du Cap	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	pois du Cap	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Limabohne	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
German	Mondbohne	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Italian	fagiolo di Lima	2	International Seed Testing Association. 1982. A Multilingual Glossary of Common Plant-Names 1. Field crops, grasses and vegetables, ed. 2.
Japanese Rōmaji	aoi-mame	2	Walker, E. 1976. Flora of Okinawa and the southern Ryukyu Islands.
Portuguese	feijão-de-Lima	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	fava-Belém	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	feijão-fava	2	Silva, V. B. et al. 2015. Genetic diversity and promising crosses indication in lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) accessions. Semina: Ciências Agrárias 36:683-692. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2015v36n2p683.
Spanish	frijol de luna	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	haba lima	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	judía de Lima	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	pallar	2	Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 259.
Spanish (Mexico)	frijol navajita	2	Lira, R. et al., eds. 2016. Ethnobotany of Mexico Springer, New York, US. 89.
Spanish (Spain)	garrofó	2	Martínez-Nieto, M. I. et al. 2020. Resilience capacity assessment of the traditional Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) landraces facing climate change. Agron. Open Access 10:758. DOI: 10.3390/agronomy10060758. Note: this study assessed local cultivars developed in Valencia, Spain, and compared them with a widely commercial cultivar
Swedish	limaböna	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chinese	main dou	2	Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Transcribed Korean	chaedu	2	Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:116.

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Baja California Sur		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Morelos		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Pará		Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize	Cayo		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize	Corozal		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize	Stann Creek		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize	Toledo		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica	Guanacaste		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica	Heredia		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	Ahuachapán		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	La Libertad		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	San Miguel		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	San Salvador		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	San Vicente		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador	Sonsonate		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Alta Verapaz		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Chimaltenango		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Chiquimula		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	El Progreso		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Escuintla		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Guatemala		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Izabal		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Jalapa		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Petén		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Quetzaltenango		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Retalhuleu		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Sacatepéquez		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	San Marcos		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Santa Rosa		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Sololá		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Suchitepéquez		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala	Zacapa		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	Atlántida		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	Colón		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	Comayagua		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	Cortés		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	El Paraíso		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras	Francisco Morazán		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Chinandega		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Estelí		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Granada		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Jinotega		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Managua		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua	Zelaya		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama	Chiriquí		Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama	Herrera		Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama	Panamá		Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela			Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Chaco		Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Argentina	Salta		Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay			Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia	Cochabamba		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia	Magdalena		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Azuay		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador	Loja		Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru	Cusco	Quillabamba	Gutiérrez-Salgado, A. et al. 1995. Evidence for two gene pools of the Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L., in the Americas. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:15-28.
2	Cultivated					widely cult.	Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
4	Naturalized					widely natzd.

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Baja California Sur, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Guerrero, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize [Cayo, Corozal, Stann Creek, Toledo], Costa Rica [Guanacaste, Heredia], Guatemala [Alta Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Izabal, Jalapa, Petén, Quetzaltenango, Retalhuleu, Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sololá, Suchitepéquez, Zacapa], Honduras [Atlántida, Colón, Comayagua, Cortés, El Paraíso, Francisco Morazán], Nicaragua [Chinandega, Estelí, Granada, Jinotega, Managua, Zelaya], Panama [Chiriquí, Herrera, Panamá], El Salvador [Ahuachapán, La Libertad, San Miguel, San Salvador, San Vicente, Sonsonate]
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil [Pará]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia [Cochabamba], Colombia [Magdalena], Ecuador [Azuay, Loja], Peru [Cusco (Quillabamba)]
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina [Chaco, Salta], Paraguay

Cultivated (widely cult.)
Naturalized (widely natzd.)

Reference(s)

Fofana, B. et al. 1999. Molecular evidence for an Andean origin and a secondary gene pool for the Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) using chloroplast DNA. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:202-212.
Freytag, G. F. & D. G. Debouck. 2002. Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Sida, Bot. Misc. 23:103-110.
Gutiérrez-Salgado, A. et al. 1995. Evidence for two gene pools of the Lima bean, Phaseolus lunatus L., in the Americas. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 42:15-28.
Serrano-Serrano, M. L. et al. 2010. Gene pools in wild Lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus L.) from the Americas: Evidences for an Andean origin and past migrations. Molec. Phylogenet. Evol. 54:76-87.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Human food	pulse	Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Human food	vegetable	Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Medicines	folklore	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Vertebrate poisons	mammals	Kingsbury, J. M. 1964. Poisonous plants of the United States and Canada.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=27591. Accessed 12 May 2026.