Mutation, Cross or have I been Double Crossed :).

15 years ago

Just for fun I've been growing out the pink bean found in a dried pod of Mr. Tung's, pic below.

The only other bean grown near it was a neighbor's Scarlet Runners on the other side of a 6' fence but close. This same year I was also growing Auntie Vi's and my neighbor on the other side was growing Cherokee Trail of Tears, both of these beans were well separated from the Mr. Tung's by a greenhouse, a 6' fence and lots of flowers, all are pole beans, the runners being a flat bean the other two plus the Mr. Tung's not.

These are the beans the pink seed produced, they grew to about 5 feet last year, flat like a runner, the pods quite shiny and the flowers showed a slight bit of color not white like Mr. Tung's.

This is the seed these beans produced. The light colored ones were picked at the shellie stage, the brown when thoroughly dried.

I grew a couple of these beans this year in an isolated spot, they haven't grown as high but the few beans produced look like they're going to be the same striped, flat beans. I have to admit the plants have been neglected and look terrible due to one thing or another. I have a few beans left so I could try again next year if the ones from this year don't make it, that is if I even bother with them. I have no idea how they will cook up or if they will even taste good. In the end I'll probably scrap them but in the meantime I'm curious as to what the seed looks like this year. What do you think mutated or crossed by some very persistant bumblebee?

Annette

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Comments (7)

happyday
15 years ago
That is not the Mr. Tungs I know.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
Original Author
15 years ago
Happy the seed surrounding the pink one looked normal but I tossed them. The Tungs I'm growing this year are looking good and producing lots of beans.

Mr. Tung's

Annette
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happyday
15 years ago
I've never grown Cherokee Trail of Tears so can't tell if that mutation looks like it or not. Maybe someone else can say.
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
Original Author
15 years ago
Happy the bean in the green stage doesn't look like Scarlet Runners (other than it is fairly flat), Cherokee Trail of Tears or Auntie Vi's. The dried beans are a different shape then the dried beans of these three also. The color is almost the same as Mr. Tung tho, it's just an odd ball bean :).
happyday
15 years ago
A common bean should not have been able to cross with a Scarlet Runner.

The pod color is common enough, it's about the same pod color as Aunti Vi isn't it? But the shape of both pod and bean are unusual. Is that the shape of a caseknife bean pod?
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
Original Author
15 years ago
"The pod color is common enough, it's about the same pod color as Aunti Vi isn't it?"
No the pod color is closer to that of a Borlotti bean which very well might be in the ancestry of Auntie Vi's, this seems to be the most likely, a cross between Mr. Tung and Aunti Vi by way of a very determined bumblebee :). In any case I'll probably grow a couple out next year just to see if they stay consistant and then scrap them.

Annette
aftermidnight Zone7b B.C. Canada
Original Author
13 years ago
While storing the bean seed I grew this year I came across a couple of seeds from the last time I grew this one. The pod was the same weird shape but was more vividly colored and once again the seed looked totally different. I haven't eaten any of the beans so don't even know if they're palatable. I only kept a couple of these seeds and tossed the rest, just out of curiosity I might grow them again, see what I get.