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chelsea_2016

Help identifying this "wild" green bean plant!

chelsea_2016
10 years ago

Hi ya'll,
So I have this crazy vine that started growing in my flowerbed along a fence (but started in behind the fence in an area where a mulch play area was getting taken over by weeds). I went out there today to do some weed pulling and much to my surprise I found what looks like green beans on this vine that was growing over my bushes.

Can anyone ID this type of bean? We didn't even have a garden last year so I have no idea how this plant could have gotten into my yard. It's not the neighbor's either...

Here are some pics. There are green beans and purple ones....I can't tell if the purple ones turn green or vise versa (sorry if silly, I haven't grown green beans before)

Comments (18)

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    A pic of the purple bean...

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    And a pic of the overall plant that I pulled

  • TxMarti
    10 years ago

    Sweet peas? In your first photo, to the left of the pods, the vine looks like bind weed, but as far as I know, the seeds of bind weed aren't very big.

    This post was edited by marti8a on Tue, Jul 16, 13 at 16:18

  • beachplant
    10 years ago

    not bind weed, they are a morning glory. I don`t know the name of this one, it`s a native vine, kind of a weed really. I`ve seen it growing around the state, on the west end of the island, on the way to San Antonio. If I remember right it has a fairly small blue flower?
    Tally Ho!

  • TxMarti
    10 years ago

    Just curious, but what are the two things that look like eyes in the first photo?

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    10 years ago

    I want to say sweet pea vine too. I've grown this, just can't remember what it's called.

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    10 years ago

    Hyacinth bean? They make green and purple beans, I think, and the leaves are ovoid. Those beans are sorta edible, I believe, with proper preparation. BUT, morning glory seeds are decidedly NOT edible. Bad stuff. In fact, just pulling morning glory plants and rubbing the cut stems onto the skin can end up being a pretty trippy experience.

    So be sure you get a good idea before you try to eat them.

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    It was night when I was taking those pics so the lighting was bad. The flowers are pale pink, a little puple-ish too.

    The only white piece of paper I could find was my kids' monster drawing book. Those are what the eye are from, lol

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks to everyone who chimed in. I forgot to mention I live in the DFW area. I'll look up the suggested plants to see if anything looks to match

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    10 years ago

    Just wondering, could you possibly have two vines pictured above; the first one with the morning glory flower and the three leafed one with the beans? I never noticed the wild morning glory having large beans, but maybe I just never give them a chance.

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Roselee,
    I'm pretty sure they were off the same vine, but I'll have to check my flower bed again. I only saw about 6 flowers, so just assumed they all belonged to the same type vine. I'll have to check for sure tomorrow. You brought up a very good point! Thank you

  • PKponder TX Z7B
    10 years ago

    I still think it's sweet pea vine. I checked google and found pods from Lathyrus latifolus. They are green and turning purple in the picture.

    What do you think?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Two seed pods of broad-leaved everlasting pea Lathyrus latifolius

  • beachplant
    10 years ago

    it is not hyacinth vine-those have purple foliage and purple beans and are much bigger. This vine stays relatively small, snapdragon vine is one of it`s common names. It is a native. member of the legume family.
    Not a sweet potato vine either.
    Not a sweet pea, they have a flat, pea like pod.
    this one is a native. I`ll figure out the name when I hunt down the Texas weed book.
    Tally HO!

  • daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
    10 years ago

    I beg to differ. Hyacinth vine doesn't have purple foliage. It's green. It does have purple flowers, though, and can have both green and purple beans depending on their ripeness, I think. But that's right that hyacinth vine gets pretty big.

  • beachplant
    10 years ago

    There is a green one but the one I am most familiar with has purple foliage too, it used to be planted all around the Renaissance Festival grounds. It is an annual and grows up to, I think, 30` in a season here in Texas. Those pods are also flat.
    Tally HO!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Purple hyacinth vine

  • Vulture61
    10 years ago

    I agree with Roselee. I think we are dealing with 2 different plants. Pay attention to the type of leaves of the branch with the flower (MG)...they are not tri-foliated like the branches with the beans (Hyacinth bean?). Also, MG's do not bear that type of pod (see link below). My guess is that a wild morning glory was growing on a either a hyacinth vine or a regular bean plant.

    Omar

    Omar

    Here is a link that might be useful: MG pod

  • texasflip
    10 years ago

    Pink fuzzy bean (Strophostyles)? If so, it's a common and very weedy native vine.

    It does look like you might have picked two different vines in the pictures.

  • chelsea_2016
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ok, so I think it's bind weed which is a member of the morning glory family. I must have 2 vines cuz after I pulled that one I went back a couple days later and couldn't find any more green beans. It's crazy cuz we didn't have any bind weed anywhere in our yard this past year until now.

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