Alabama no. 1 purple pod bean

10 years ago

Does anyone know of a source for the Alabama no. 1 purple pod beans? Does not matter if qty is only 5-10 seed although 10-20 preferred.

Featured Answer

Clifton Knight

8 years ago

Fusion _power I have done extensive research on the Alabama black bean, The bean is indigenous to Alabama and was cultivated by the Creek Indians. It came into my family when my great great grandfather married a Creek Indian around the 1890's.

My ggg was a market farmer in Clay County, AL and sold in markets around Auburn University. During the depression AU was trying to improve varieties of crops that grew well in the southern heat to help fight widespread poverty in the South. My ggg along with several other farmers provided strains of the Alabama black bean and other types of local vegetables seeds to the university for research. This is where things get fuzzy, I don't know if he continued to grow the old or new strain when they were introduced. The strain I grow has nematode problems, so I assume I have the original source strain. Your post above (Alabama 1) describes my bean very well, the beans exposed to full sun will be purple, ones shaded will remain green with a very slight purple hue.

If you have anymore questions shoot me an email at: flintcityfarms@yahoo.com

Comments (12)

aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
10 years ago
Sand Hill Preservation Center
hementia8
10 years ago
The ALABAMA #1 that I grow and listed by Sand Hill, was bred by Auurn U.
It is purple streaked, not fully a purple pod
Charlie
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aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
10 years ago
Seeds of Diversity has Alabama #1 Purple Pod listed as...
Apparently extinct.
Not currently propagated by Seeds of Diversity's seed-savers.
Not known to have been sold commercially in North America for over 20 years.
Not maintained by the Canadian gene bank.
Not maintained by the U.S. gene bank.
So Alabama #1 Purple Pod and Alabama #1 are two different beans :(. Hopefully some seed saver has a few squirrel away. Are they listed in the Seed Savers Exchange by any chance?

Annette
fusion_power
10 years ago
Annette, I am the O.S. of the Alabama #1 that Sandhill sells. I got the seed from a local seed saver who was very adamant that they came from a professor at Auburn about 40 years ago. That is the good news. The bad news is that there are obvious signs they have been crossed with something else over the years. There are speckled and striped pods among the purple pods. I made an effort to separate out the original seed but was not entirely successful at eliminating the off types.

Alabama #1 is in ARS-GRIN and I have a request in for seed. I want to see how their stock compares with the beans I grow and that Glenn sells. By this time next year, I should have some good answers. So there is only 1 bean in question not 2.

"Alabama 1 - Breeder: Alabama Polytechnic Inst., Auburn. Vendor: Asgrow. Parentage: locally adapted farm garden stocks. Characteristics: pole bean with slender, smooth, deep root system; large yielder, almost round pods, between 7-8" in length. Resistance: hot weather, root knot; partially resistant to rust. Similar: Ideal Market. Adaptation: southern United States. Southern Seedsman 1938.'

This post was edited by fusion_power on Fri, Mar 21, 14 at 13:26
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
10 years ago
Thanks Dar, Seeds Of Diversity have them listed as two different cultivars, another one on the brink ?
SofD has 'Selma Star' listed as apparently extinct too but it ain't so :). Thanks to some help from Russ Crow it will soon be back in circulation at least in my neck of the woods.

Annette
JBWhite
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks everybody!
The one I am trying to find is the one that is supposedly extinct. It seems reasonable to assume that the original developer may have had several strains but why they would all be called Alabama no. 1 instead of sequential numbers is beyond my understanding. So hopefully I can get some of the true purple pod or maybe fusionpowers strain is a degenerate version as far as color or could have crossed with another type and maybe selective seed saving will work wonders.
hementia8
10 years ago
SSE offered in the 1997 yearbook ALABAMA #1 PURPLE POD bean#3079
You may want to check with SSE to see if they still have in inventory
ALABAMA #1 has purple streaks in pods,black seeded,from Dr.Sam Jones of Auburn in 1963
There is also a ALABAMA #1 listed in the 1994 year book with green pods BN #1571
ALABAMA#2 BN 763 with green pods is listed in the 94 year book as is ALABAMA #1 BLACK small black seed,3 per pod
Charlie
hementia8
9 years ago
This came up in Alabama #1
It looks more like Violet podded stringless,however it has black seed
Clifton Knight
8 years ago
JB White, I have the Alabama No#1 purple pod bean you are looking for, they have been grown by four generations of my family. I will send you some if you still want them.
fusion_power
8 years ago
Clifton, Can you post a bit more about the history of your beans and where you grow them?

Thanks,
philagardener
8 years ago
What a great family heirloom! So glad you are keeping it going!