Scarlet Runner Bean

Phaseolus coccineus 'Scarlet Emperor'

vegetable

Scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus) is a vigorous twining vine native to the mountains of Central America, grown both as an ornamental for its brilliant scarlet flowers, which hummingbirds love, and as a dual-purpose vegetable. Young pods are eaten like green beans, and the large, handsome seeds are shelled fresh or dried for a chestnut-like cooked bean. Vines can reach 15 ft but are usually 6 to 8 ft on a trellis. It is technically a short-lived perennial in zones 7 to 11, where it resprouts from tuberous roots, but is grown as an annual elsewhere. It is a little more cold tolerant than common beans but its flowers can drop in extreme summer heat.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Corn — Tall stalks give the twining vine natural support
• Squash — Sprawling vines shade and mulch the soil over the bean roots
• Nasturtium — Draws pollinators and acts as a trap crop for aphids

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Cluster on shoot tips; rinse off, conserve ladybugs, and manage ants

• Slugs →

  Chew seedlings; use barriers, traps, and handpicking, and keep mulch back from young stems

• Mexican bean beetle →

  Coppery beetles and yellow larvae skeletonize leaves; handpick and check leaf undersides for egg clusters

• Spider mites →

  Stipple leaves in hot, dry spells; rinse foliage and raise humidity

🌾 Harvest & storage

For snap beans, pick the pods young and tender, before the seeds bulge and the skins toughen; picking often keeps the vine producing. For shell beans, let the pods fill and eat the seeds while still pink and soft. For dry beans, leave the pods on the vine until completely dry and the seeds rattle, or pick mature pods ahead of frost and finish drying them indoors.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Scarlet runner beans are high in protein and fiber, with folate and minerals. The cooked shelled beans have a rich, chestnut-like flavor, and the young pods eat like green beans.

⚠️ Toxicity & safety

Like common beans, raw scarlet runner beans contain lectins (phytohemagglutinin) that can cause stomach upset, so the shelled beans must be cooked before eating. The young whole pods are best cooked too and eaten raw only sparingly. The flowers are edible.