# Beach Bean (*Canavalia rosea*) Beach Beans are fun, colorful seeds that grow on the beach! They can be found in sandy areas and are often washed up by the waves. Kids love to collect them because they look like little treasures. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 1 - **Habitat:** Coastal areas - **Also known as:** Coastal Bean, Sea Bean ![Beach Bean](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Canavalia_rosea_flower.JPG&width=800) Photo: Ianaré Sévi, CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canavalia_rosea_flower.JPG) ## Appearance The Beach Bean is a sprawling, fast-growing vine with thick, leathery, dark green leaves. Its pea-like flowers are a vibrant purplish-pink, blooming in clusters. These flowers mature into flat, elongated seed pods that turn brown when ripe. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Fabales - **Family:** Fabaceae - **Genus:** Canavalia ## Interesting facts - Its tough seeds can survive floating in saltwater for many months while traveling the seas! - Some people collect Beach Bean seeds and call them 'lucky beans' for good fortune! - The Beach Bean plant loves bright sunshine and thrives in really hot, sandy places! - This vine can grow super long, covering wide stretches of sand like a beautiful green carpet! ## Special abilities - **Ocean Voyager:** Beach Bean has buoyant seeds that float in saltwater, helping them travel across oceans to new beaches. - **Sand Stabilizer:** Beach Bean can grow deep, spreading roots that anchor sandy soils, preventing erosion on coastal dunes. - **Coastal Pioneer:** Beach Bean can thrive in salty conditions and direct sun, allowing it to colonize harsh beach environments. - **Soil Helper:** Beach Bean has special bacteria in its roots that enrich the sand with nutrients, helping other plants grow. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-300 cm - **Spread:** 100-1000 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Year-round in tropical regions - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Perennial - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Flowers provide nectar and pollen for bees. - **Symbiotic with:** Nitrogen-fixing bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — Bacteria enrich soil with vital nitrogen nutrients. - **Eaten by:** Cowpea Aphid (*Aphis craccivora*) — Aphids feed on the plant's sap and leaves. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants. - [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability. - [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Coastal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/coastal): Coastal habitats are dynamic environments located along the interface between land and sea, influenced by tides, waves, and saltwater. - [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always wash your hands after playing with seeds and don't eat them unless an adult says it's safe. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Beach Bean? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is Beach Bean? 30-300 cm ### How wide does Beach Bean spread? 100-1000 cm ### How big are the flowers on Beach Bean? 2-3 cm ### When does Beach Bean bloom? Year-round in tropical regions ### Is Beach Bean edible? Yes ### Is Beach Bean toxic? None ### What is Beach Bean's lifecycle? Perennial ## Where to spot - [Normandy Isles Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/normandy-isles-historic-district) — US · Historic District - [Cayo Costa State Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cayo-costa-state-park) — Florida, US · State Park ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Beach Bean: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/beach-bean)