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Wild beans of the greater southwest:Phaseolus metcalfei andP. ritensis

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Abstract

Cocolmeca (thePhaseolus metcalfei group) are leguminous root perennials of the uplands (1,000–2,500 m elevation) of southwestern North America. Their cultural significance has been underestimated both within and beyond their natural range, where they have been utilized in prehistoric and historic times. Ambiguities in both scientific taxonomy and folk taxonomy obscure the fact that bothP. metcalfei andP. ritensis have been widely used as systemic medicine, food, in fermentation, as forage, and as glue. The use of the seeds as green and dried bean foods was historically extensive, but was abandoned due to changes in Indian subsistence patterns and in the availability of the plants themselves. Herb dealers today are responsible for transport of the roots as far north as the Navajo in Utah; it is suggested that cross- cultural merchants may have been responsible for their diffusion historically or even prehistorically. Bean seed from the two species contain 20.5–30.9% crude protein. Germ plasm conservation and screening are needed in order to evaluate further the potential of these species as cultivated food and forage crops for semiarid uplands.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agriculture, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona

    C. W. Weber

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  1. G. P. Nabhan
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  2. J. W. Berry
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  3. C. W. Weber
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Arizona Agriculture Experiment Station Publication 2973.

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Nabhan, G.P., Berry, J.W. & Weber, C.W. Wild beans of the greater southwest:Phaseolus metcalfei andP. ritensis . Econ Bot 34, 68–85 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02859555

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