Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis
Origin: China
Improvement status: Unknown
Seeds per packet: ~25
Germination tested 12/2026: 76%
Life cycle: Annual
This Chinese heirloom yardlong bean donated by People's Republic of China to the USDA in 1977, in the early days of the establishment of an economic relationship between the US and China. The seeds came from the PRC's Department of Agriculture in Shanghai. This variety was noted in the database to be a prostrate type, but we found — at The Seed Farm at Princeton University, where we grew the seeds in collaboration with the great folks there — that it is quite happy to climb a trellis. It's likely more productive that way too. This variety has maroon-colored seeds and long tasty pods. We haven't been able to learn anything else about the name or the deeper origin of this variety (beyond "China"), but hung can mean "hero/brave" (雄), "great/vast/flood" (弘/洪), or can relate to "red" (红). It's also a common surname with roots in Vietnamese/Chinese culture, symbolizing strength, prosperity, and heritage.
GROWING TIPS: Direct-sow soil has begun to warm up in the spring, around the same time you would start beans or corn.
