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Thicket Bean

Phaseolus polystachios

Found in thickets, woodlands, seemingly declining. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

69
Strong

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
About 8 feet in flower
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to average
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
July to October
Fruiting season
August to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 21 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

60CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Phaseolus

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
  • Agrotis malefidaRascal Dart, Pale-Sided Cut-Worm, Shagreened Cut-Worm
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anomis flavaTropical Anomis Moth
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Show all 60
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Autoplusia egenaBean-Leaf Skeletonizer Moth
  • Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
  • Cecropterus dorantesDorantes Longtail, Lilac-Banded Longtail
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Dasylophia thyatiroidesGray-Patched Prominent
  • Dysodia oculatanaEyed Thyris
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Mocis latipesSmall Mocis, Striped Grass Looper
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
  • Omiodes indicataBean-Leaf Webworm Moth
  • Palthis asopialisFaint-Spotted Palthis
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera latifasciaOrange-Striped Armyworm, Velvet Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Striacosta albicostaWestern Bean Cutworm
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Telegonus cellusGolden Banded-Skipper , Golden-Banded Skipper
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Xylophanes tersaTersa Sphinx
  • Phidotricha erigens
  • Porphyrosela desmodiella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
7BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Phaseolus

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Phaseolus

  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Pink
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Bean Vine; Wild Bean

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources