# Phasey Bean (*Macroptilium lathyroides*)

The Phasey Bean is a fun plant with pretty flowers and long, green leaves. It grows in warm places and is loved by butterflies and bees!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Grasslands

![Phasey Bean](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Starr_060405-7460_Macroptilium_lathyroides.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Starr_060405-7460_Macroptilium_lathyroides.jpg)

## Appearance

The Phasey Bean has slender, upright stems with three oval leaflets. Its small, pea-like flowers are usually a vibrant reddish-purple, sometimes pink or white, growing in clusters. Long, straight, dark seed pods follow the blooms, hanging distinctively.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Fabales
- **Family:** Fabaceae
- **Genus:** Macroptilium

## Interesting facts

- Farmers sometimes plant it to help keep pesky weeds from growing in their fields.
- It's a super snack for farm animals, helping them grow big and strong!
- Its long, thin seed pods look just like tiny green beans hanging from the stem.
- This amazing plant is a distant cousin to the peas and beans we eat for dinner!

## Special abilities

- **Soil Enrichment:** Phasey Bean can enrich the soil with nitrogen, helping itself and other plants grow stronger!
- **Rapid Spreader:** Phasey Bean has a quick growth habit that helps it establish rapidly, covering ground efficiently.
- **Drought Resilience:** Phasey Bean can tolerate dry conditions, allowing it to survive where water is scarce.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-150 cm
- **Spread:** 50-100 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar
- **Eaten by:** [Cattle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cattle) (*Bos taurus*) — used as nutritious forage
- **Symbiotic with:** Rhizobium bacteria (*Rhizobium leguminosarum*) — fixes nitrogen in roots

## Traits

- [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
- [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always check with an adult before touching or picking plants.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Phasey 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 Phasey Bean?

30-150 cm

### How wide does Phasey Bean spread?

50-100 cm

### How big are the flowers on Phasey Bean?

1-2 cm

### When does Phasey Bean bloom?

Summer

### Is Phasey Bean edible?

Yes

### Is Phasey Bean toxic?

None

### What is Phasey Bean's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Heathcote Botanical Gardens](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/heathcote-botanical-gardens) — Florida, US · Botanical Garden

## 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*)

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Source: [Phasey Bean: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/phasey-bean)