The Lima Bean Story A favorite in the American South, limas are actually named after the capital of Peru, and they have more nicknames than any other bean: butter bean, Rangoon bean, Burma bean, Madagascar bean, and chad bean. Like common beans, they originated in Peru where they were cultivated even before corn.
Another question we ran across in our research was “Where does lima beans come from?”.
Lima beans get their name from Lima, the capital of Peru . For centuries, people in Central and South America have prized lima beans for the energy and nutrients they offer. Peru’s ancient Moche civilization used the large, flat beans in their cooking as early as 800 BCE. Lima beans come in several varieties.
Why are lima beans called lima beans?
During the Spanish Viceroyalty of Peru, lima beans were exported to the rest of the Americas and Europe, and since the boxes of such goods had their place of origin labeled ” Lima, Peru “, the beans got named as such.
The species has two varieties. The wild variety is silvester and the domesticated one is lunatus. In the U. S, it is a warm season crop, grown mainly in Delaware and the mid-Atlantic region for processing and in the Midwest and California for dry beans. Baby lima beans are planted in early June and harvested about 10–12 weeks later.
How to grow lima beans?
There are both bush and pole varieties of lima beans available. Like green beans, the bush types will begin setting pods sooner. Pole beans will need sturdy support. The vines can easily grow 10 feet or more and become heavy with pods. Plant 4 to 6 seeds on each side of a trellis or teepee.
Most gardeners grow lima beans from seed. And you can save seeds from a mature plant to grow the next year. This is an easy and inexpensive way to get new plants, and it will allow you to duplicate plants that were especially good producers or whose taste you liked.
What is the scientific name of the plant with the name Lima?
Lima Bean Plant Profile Botanical Name Phaseolus lunatus Common Name Lima beans, Butter beans, Chad beans Plant Type Annual vegetable Mature Size Bush variety, 2 feet tall; pole variety, Sun Exposure Full sun 7 more rows.