On Wed, 6 Apr 2011 20:27:18 +0100, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:

In message , Mike Lyle
writes
[...]
I think most (all?) of them are just cultivars of Phaseolus vulgaris:
they come in a wide range of forms. Not the broad bean clan, of course:
they're Vicia faba.

Many beans are varieties of Phaseolus vulgaris. The seeds of this are
toxic if not cooked (sufficiently; apparently slow cookers increase the
toxicity). Runner beans are Phaseolus coccineus, of which Wikipedia says
"Runner beans contain traces of the poisonous lectin,
Phytohaemagglutinin, found in common beans and hence must be thoroughly
cooked before consumption."
Ah, thanks. I didn't know the name P. coccineus, or, of course, that
they were separate.
Butter beans are Phaseolus lunatus. Mung
bean is Vigna radiata. Hyacinth beans, another species which requires
prolonged boiling, is Lablab purpureus.

Never heard of Hyacinth beans before, which is surprising, given its
apparent importance. Wkp's photo is beautiful.

--
Mike.