The generic name Phaseolus was introduced by Linnaeus in 1753,[7] from the Latinphaseolus, a diminutiveofphasēlus, in turn borrowed from Greek φάσηλος / phasēlos of unknown origin.[8][9] The Ancient Greeks probably referred to any bean in a pod as phasēlos,[10] which at the time, in Europe, were only of Asian origin. Later, when the common bean was introduced into Europe via Columbian exchange in the 16th Century, the meaning of the term extended to the New World beans.
Previous classifications placed a number of other well-known legume species in this genus, but they were subsequently reassigned to the genus Vigna, sometimes necessitating a change of species name. For example, older literature refers to the mung beanasPhaseolus aureus, whereas more modern sources classify it as Vigna radiata. Similarly, the snail bean Vigna caracalla was discovered in 1753 and in 1970 moved from PhaseolustoVigna. The modern understanding of Phaseolus indicates a genus endemic only to the New World.[3]
The Phaseolus plant has an OPALS plant allergy scale rating of 4 out of 10, indicating moderate potential to cause allergic reactions, exacerbated by over-use of the same plant throughout a garden. Leaves can cause skin rash and old plants often carry rust.[14]
^ abDelgado-Salinas, A.; Thulin, M.; Pasquet, R.; Weeden, N.; Lavin, M. (2011). "Vigna (Leguminosae) sensu lato: the names and identities of the American segregate genera". American Journal of Botany. 98 (10): 1694–715. doi:10.3732/ajb.1100069. PMID21980163.
^Freytag, George F.; Debouck, Daniel G. (2002). Taxonomy, distribution, and ecology of the genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae-Papilionoideae) in North America, Mexico and Central America. Botanical Research Institute of Texas. ISBN1889878111. OCLC249436749.
^Rosales-Serna, R.; Hernández-Delgado, S.; González-Paz, M.; Acosta-Gallegos, J. A.; Mayek-Pérez, N. (2005). "Genetic Relationships and Diversity Revealed by AFLP Markers in Mexican Common Bean Bred Cultivars". Crop Science. 45 (5): 1951. doi:10.2135/cropsci2004.0582.
^Heinrich F.; Wilkins D. (2014). "Beans, boats and archaeobotany: A new translation of 'phasolus' or why the romans ate neither kidney beans nor cowpeas". Palaeohistoria. 55/56 (2013/2014): 149–176. S2CID58931881. [1]
^Delgado-Salinas, Alfonso; Bibler, Ryan; Lavin, Matt (2006-10-01). "Phylogeny of the Genus Phaseolus (Leguminosae): A Recent Diversification in an Ancient Landscape". Systematic Botany. 31 (4): 779–791. doi:10.1600/036364406779695960. ISSN0363-6445. S2CID14832239.
^Delgado-Salinas, Alfonso; Turley, Tom; Richman, Adam; Lavin, Matt (July 1999). "Phylogenetic Analysis of the Cultivated and Wild Species of Phaseolus (Fabaceae)". Systematic Botany. 24 (3): 438. doi:10.2307/2419699. ISSN0363-6445. JSTOR2419699.
^Ogren, Thomas Leo (2015). The Allergy-Fighting Garden. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press. ISBN9781607744917.
