Français
Donate
Donner

Fact Sheets

FICHES DE
RENSEIGNEMENTS

Back To Index
print

Vicia faba L.

Overview
General Information
ID Info
Similar Species
Need ID Help?
Aperçu
Renseignements Généraux
Informations D'identification
Espèces Semblables
Besoin d'aide pour l'identification?

Family :

Famille :

Fabaceae

Synonym(s) :

Synonyme(s) :

Faba bona Medik. (USDA-ARS 2024)

Faba vulgaris Moench (USDA-ARS 2024)

Faba vulgaris Moench var. paucijuga Alef. (USDA-ARS 2024)

Faba vulgaris Moench var. vulgaris (USDA-ARS 2024)

Vicia faba L. subsp. paucijuga Muratova (USDA-ARS 2024)

Common Name(s) :

Nom(s) commun(s) :

Faba-bean

(English) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Fava-bean (English) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Broad-bean (English) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Bell-bean (English) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Féverole (French) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Can dou, 蚕豆 (Chinese) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Fava (Italian) (USDA-ARS 2024)

Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Faba bean (Vicia faba) seeds

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seed

  • Faba bean (Vicia faba) seed

  • Faba bean (Vicia faba) seed

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with black hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (red seed coat with black hilum type) seed

  • Vicia faba (greenish to brownish yellow seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (greenish to brownish yellow seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

  • Vicia faba (greenish to brownish yellow seed coat with colourless hilum type) seed

  • Vicia faba var. faba (broad bean) seeds, various views

  • Vicia faba var. minuta (tick bean) seeds, various views

Explore More :

Explore plus :

Overview

Aperçu

Regulation :

Remarques Réglementation:

    Regulation Notes:

    Distribution :

    Répartition :

    Vicia faba is believed to have originated in Iran and Afghanistan but has been introduced to the warmer parts of North, Central, and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands (POWO 2024).

    In Canada, Vicia faba has been reported but unconfirmed in Manitoba and Newfoundland (‌Brouillet et al. 2010+).

    In the United States, Vicia faba has been introduced to the Pacific Northwest, many northeastern states, Montana and Mississippi (USDA-NRCS 2024).

    Habitat and Crop Association :

    Habitat et Cultures Associées :

    Vicia faba is mostly a cultivated crop that occasionally escapes cultivation (WFO 2024). When found growing in the wild, it is typically found in anthropogenic habitats near fields where it is grown, waste places, and disturbed soils (NatureSpot 2015).

    Heuzé et al. (2015) report that Vicia faba prefers cool, moist climates in deep, well-structured, clay-rich soils. In warmer and drier parts of the world, it is typically found at higher elevations or grows in winter. However, reports vary on its cold hardiness, explaining its absence from most northern climates.

    Vicia faba does not appear to be found as a weed of cultivated crops.

    Economic Use, cultivation area, and Weed Association :

    Utilisation économique, zone de culture et association de mauvaises herbes :

    Vicia faba is a cool season legume that is thought to have been domesticated in the Fertile Crescent; however, is currently cultivated widely around the world (Maalouf et al. 2021). The top ten producers in descending order are China, Ethiopia, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Sudan, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, and Egypt (FAO 2023).

    Vicia faba is a major legume crop of critical economic and nutritional importance. Paul and Gupta (2021) and Heuzé et al. (2015) reported that it is an important food crop worldwide, especially in developing countries where it is often used as a green or dried vegetable, eaten fresh and canned. V. faba is an important dietary protein source in many countries of North and East Africa, Middle East and South and West Asia (Maalouf et al. 2021). It is often used as a substitute for fish and meat in developing countries of Asia and Africa (Haq et al. 2022). V. faba can also be used as livestock feed due to its high protein content (Muehlbauer and Tullu 1998). It is widely used for animal feed, primarily for pigs, horses, poultry, rabbits, and fish.

    Globally, Vicia faba crops were worth $52.3 million USD in 2020 and are expected to grow to $79 million USD in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of about 4.2% (Transparency Market Research 2020).

    Vicia faba is a poor competitor with weeds (Paul and Gupta 2021). Common problematic weeds include Polygonum aviculare L., Glebionis coronaria (L.) Cass. ex Spach, Calendula arvensis L., Sonchus oleraceus L., Helminthotheca echioides (L.) Holub, Fumaria parviflora Lam., Papaver rhoeas L., Chenopodium album L., Galium aparine L., Bifora testiculata (L.) Spreng., Lamium amplexicaule L., Coronilla scorpioides (L.) W. D. J. Koch, Vicia sativa L., Medicago polymorpha L., Sinapis arvensis L., Gypsophila vaccaria (L.) Sm., Cichorium intybus L., Diplotaxis assurgens Thell. Mursenaper, Bromus sterilis L., Phalaris minor Retz. (Boutagayout et al. 2020) as well as Orobanche spp. L., Cuscuta campestris Yuncker, and Cuscuta hyalina Roth. (Crop Genebank Knowledgebase 2024).

    In Western Canada, the two major weeds of V. faba production are Cirsium arvense (L.) Scop. and Sonchus arvensis L., with other significant weed species including Gypsophila vaccaria (L.) Sm., Malva pusilla Sm., Lappula squarrosa (Retz.) Dumort., Galium aparine L., and Solanum triflorum Nutt. (Alberta Pulse Growers 2022).

    Duration of Life Cycle :

    Durée du cycle vital:

    Annual or winter annual

    Dispersal Unit Type :

    Type d’unité de dispersion :

    Seed

    General Information

    RENSEIGNEMENTS GÉNÉRAUX

    Vicia faba has three recognized botanical varieties: Vicia faba L. var. equina St.-Amans (horse bean; field bean, USDA-ARS 2024), Vicia faba L. var. faba (broad bean; Windsor bean, USDA-ARS 2024), and Vicia faba L. var. minuta (hort. ex Alef.) Mansf. (tick bean; bell bean, USDA-ARS 2024; Vishnupriya et al. 2024). Some sources refer to the botanical varieties as synonyms for Vicia faba (WFO 2024; POWO 2024). According to Vishnupriya et al. 2024, Vicia faba var. faba has the largest seeds (650 – 850 g/1000 seeds), Vicia faba var. equina (250 – 350 g/1000 seeds), and Vicia faba var. minuta has the smallest seeds. The common name of broad bean or Windsor bean is given to the largest seeded cultivars, used for human consumption (GRDC 2017). The smaller seeded cultivars, often referred to as ‘horse bean’ and ‘field bean’ are used either for animal feed or human food.

    Caracuta et al. (2015) state that little is known about the origin of Vicia faba since all living varieties are fully domesticated, and neither wild representatives nor any closely related species have been found. However, analyses of archaeological remains date their earliest farming to around 10,200 years ago in the lower Galilee region of what is now northern Israel.

    Haq et al. (2022) report that Vicia faba is highly sensitive to environmental stress, especially drought. Studies are now being done with wild relatives in the Vicia genus that have a much higher tolerance to environmental stress to improve the drought resistance of Vicia faba.

    Henriquez et al. (2018) also report that most cultivars are highly susceptible to hard frost, with white flower accessions with lower tannin levels, preferred for their digestibility, being the most vulnerable compared to pigmented flowers that were more tolerant but contained higher tannins (Henriquez et al. 2018).

    Like most legumes, Vicia faba fixes nitrogen at its roots via bacteria of the Rhizobaceae Conn family that grow in root nodules (Sharma and Salwan 2023). Studies have found that nitrogen production can be greatly enhanced when soils are inoculated with soil rhizobia, with increased nitrogen fixation from 21 to 129 kg shoot N ha−1 in fields without soil Rhizobaceae present, and from 132 to 218 kg shoot N ha−1 at sites that already had high background populations of Rhizobaceae (Denton et al. 2013).

    Ghorbi et al. (2023) report that Vicia faba as a cover crop improves soil biology and reduces soil erosion, fossil fuel consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. This makes it popular when rotated with non-legume crops with high nitrogen needs, such as corn. Planting them as a cover crop that dies in the winter accumulated particularly high nitrogen levels at 192 kg N ha−1. When used in rotation with corn, the corn yielded 28% higher than control fields without Vicia faba. Results were still positive in plots with the highest rates of synthetic nitrogen application, where cover-crop fields yielded more than those without.

    Vicia faba is a rich source of proteins, complex carbohydrates, and dietary fibre, choline, lecithin, minerals, phenolics, lysine, and arginine (Heuzé et al. 2015; Paul and Gupta 2021). However, like many legumes, they also contain lectins, saponins, phytic acid, alkaloids, and other anti-nutritional compounds that reduce their digestibility, although soaking and cooking at high temperatures can reduce or eliminate those compounds (Paul and Gupta 2021).

    While the seedling stage of Vicia faba competes poorly with weeds, the mature plants show promise as a weed control agent. Aqueous extracts can inhibit the germination and early growth of weeds and are effective against the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae L.) (Paul and Gupta 2021).

    Studies show that sprouted Vicia faba is a rich source of levo-dihydroxy phenylalanine (L-dopa), the precursor of dopamine, and is being investigated for easing the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease (Mehran and Golshani 2013). Additional studies found they are pharmacologically active, increasing plasma levels of L-dopa and improving motor function, but with varying effects, including occasional hyperstimulation (Ramírez-Moreno et al. 2015), suggesting the need for caution until more information becomes available (Rijntjes 2019).

    .

    Identification

    Identification

    <
    >

    • Legume

      Size

      • Legume length: up to 10 cm; width: 1 – 2 cm (SPG 2025)
      • Legume length: 50 – 100(-200) mm; width: (10-)20 – 30 mm (WFO 2024)

      Shape

      • Legume is linear shaped in 2D (FNA 1993+) and cylindrical in 3D (SPG 2025)
      • Legume is somewhat compressed with slight constrictions between the seeds

      Surface Texture

      • Legume has a smooth exterior surface with a spongy tissue that appears woolly covered interior (‌Smither-Kopperl 2019)

      Colour

      • Legume is green but turns brown or black at maturity (‌Smither-Kopperl 2019)

      Other Features

      • Legume contains 2 – 8 seeds (SPG 2025), but may have as many as 10 (‌Smither-Kopperl 2019)
      • Legumes are erect and held upright on the plant
    <
    >

    • Seed

      Size

      Size from literature:

      • Seed length: 5 – 24 mm; width: 10 mm; thickness: 5 – 7 mm (ISTA 2021)
      • Vicia faba minor (smallest seed) length: 1 cm (GRDC 2017)
      • Vicia faba equina (medium seed) length: 1.5 cm (GRDC 2017)
      • Vicia faba faba (largest seed) length: 2.5 cm (GRDC 2017)
      • Globose seeds diameter: 7 – 9 mm (FNA 1993+)
      • Strongly compressed (flat) seeds diameter: 12–35 mm (FNA 1993+)
      • Hilum is 1/6th – 1/5th of the seed circumference (FNA 1993+)

      Shape

      • Vicia faba minor seed shape is round, globose (GRDC 2017; Digital Plant Atlas 2025) or oval
      • Vicia faba equina seed is flat and oblong or oval shaped; sides may be slightly concave (Digital Plant Atlas 2025)
      • Vicia faba faba seed shape is flat and oblong or broadly kidney-shaped; sides often concave (Digital Plant Atlas 2025)
      • Hilum is oblong, oval, or long oval shaped

      Surface Texture

      • Seed has a smooth surface texture at low magnifications, but magnifications of at least 32x expose a minute honeycomb ridged reticulation

      Colour

      • Seed colour may be white, light yellowish-brown, brown, and reddish brown
      • Some varieties have green, purple (‌Smither-Kopperl 2019), spotted gray, and black (FNA 1993+) seeds
      • Hilum may be black, white, or a similar colour to the seed coat

      Other Features

      • Hilum is terminal at one end (short edge), recessed on the surface, and it is relatively large
      • Hilum occasionally covered or partially covered by funicular tissue
      • The lens is an obvious bump that is in the middle of one of the long seed edges (narrow sides)
      • Although seed coat colour is determined by the variety, the colour often darkens and is highly influenced by storage conditions (Bello and Udoh 2022)

      Faba bean (Vicia faba) seeds

    <
    >

    • Embryo

      Size

      • Embryo fills the seed

      Shape

      • Embryo shape is bent

      Endosperm

      • Cotyledons are large and thick and are the food source during germination

      Other Features

      • Embryo is in the axial position

    Identification Tips

    CONSEILS POUR L’IDENTIFICATION

    Vicia faba is easily recognized by its relatively large seed size in comparison to other Fabaceae crops, its terminal, recessed hilum that is conspicuous, and prominent lens located along one of the long narrow sides.

    Vicia faba (red seed coat with colourless hilum type) seeds

    Additional Botany Information

    AUTRES RENSEIGNEMENTS BOTANIQUES

    Flowers/Inflorescence

    • Large flowers appear in clusters (condensed racemes) of 2-4(1-6) in the leaf axils (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019; WFO 2024)
    • The flower is 20-35(-40) mm (Heuzé et al. 2015; WFO 2024), pea-like, white to pinkish-purple with purple to violet veins found primarily on the standard petal and having large purple or violet spots on each wing. The standard petal is con­stricted in the middle and longer than the wings; the wings are longer than the keel (WFO 2024)
    • Calyx is bell-shaped with unequal teeth (WFO 2024)
    • Ovary is sessile, linear, with 2-4(-6) ovules (WFO 2024)

    Vegetative Features

    • Stout, erect annual herbs, 30-120(-200) cm tall (Heuzé et al. 2015; WFO 2024) from a robust taproot with many fibrous lateral roots (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019)
    • Stems are unbranched, hollow (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019), thick, hairless, 4-angled (WFO 2024)
    • Compound leaves are arranged alternately (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019) with 1-3(-5) pairs of leaflets that are oblong, oval, or sometimes egg-shaped with the leaf stalk attached to the narrow end; 40-60(-100) mm long by 15-40 mm wide; surfaces are hairless; leaf tip ending abruptly in a very short pointy tip (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019; WFO 2024)
    • Stipules present; spear-shaped or between triangular and egg-shaped; 10-25 mm, margin slightly toothed (WFO 2024)
    • Tendril is absent and replaced by a very short pointy tip (WFO 2024). This can help differentiate it from other members of Vicia that have tendrils or rudimentary tendrils (Muehlbauer and Tullu 2019)

    This is a variant with much more deeply coloured pinkish-purple flowers (Cranshaw, Bugwood.org)

    Similar Species

    ESPÈCES SEMBLABLES

    Similar species are based on a study of seed morphology of various species, and those with similar dispersal units are identified. The study is limited by physical specimen and literature availability at the time of examination, and possibly impacted by the subjectivity of the authors based on their knowledge and experience. Providing similar species information for seed identification is to make users aware of similarities that could possibly result in misidentification.

    Phaseolus lunatus L. (lima bean)

    Phaseolus lunatus seeds are often relatively large and flat with the primary difference from Vicia faba being the placement of the hilum in the middle of one of the long, narrow edges. The lens is not an obvious bump, is somewhat lobed, and located adjacent to the hilum in the P. lunatus seed, as opposed to Vicia faba that has a prominent bump far from the hilum. Phaseolus lunatus has its hilum normally covered with white funicular tissue, whereas the tissue is only occasionally present in Vicia faba.

    Click to select species

    Cliquez pour sélectionner les espèces

    Comparison Window

    Fenêtre de comparaison

    Need ID Help?

    Besoin d’aide pour l’identification?

    ID Forum
    Forum d'identification
    ID Tool
    Outil d'identification

    Reference(s)

    Référence(s)

    Alberta Pulse Growers. 2022. Faba Bean – Weed Control. Alberta Pulse Growers. https://albertapulse.com/faba-bean-weed-control Accessed May 19, 2022.

    Bello, F. and Udoh, I. 2022. Effect of Storage on Quality and Cooking Attributes of Faba Bean. Chapter 8 in Faba Bean: Chemistry, Properties, and Functionality. Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14587-2

    Boutagayout, A., Nassiri, L., Bouiamrine, E.H., and Belmalha, S. 2020. Mulching effect on weed control and faba bean (Vicia faba L. Minor) yield in Meknes region, Morocco. E3S Web of Conferences. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202018304002

    Caracuta, V., Barzilai, O., Khalaily, H., Milevski, I., Paz, Y., Vardi, J., Regev, L. and Boaretto, E.   2015. The onset of faba bean farming in the Southern Levant. Scientific Reports 5, 14370. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep14370

    Crop Genebank Knowledgebase. 2024. Weeds – Faba Bean. Cgiar.org. https://cropgenebank.sgrp.cgiar.org/index.php/management-mainmenu-433/stogs-mainmenu-238/fababean/guidelines/weeds

    ‌Denton, M.D., Pearce, D.J., and Peoples, M.B. 2013. Nitrogen contributions from faba bean (Vicia faba L.) reliant on soil rhizobia or inoculation. Plant and Soil 365: 363–374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1393-2

    ‌‌Digital Plant Atlas. 2025. University of Groningen.  https://www.plantatlas.eu/item/clade/3361 Accessed April 08, 2025.

    Flora of North America (FNA) Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online]. 22+ vols. New York and Oxford. http://beta.floranorthamerica.org Accessed April 03, 2025.

    Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). 2023. FAOSTAT. Www.fao.org. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL/visualize Accessed September 18, 2024.

    Ghorbi, S., Ebadi, A., Parmoon, G., Siller, A., Hashemi, M. 2023. The Use of Faba Bean Cover Crop to Enhance the Sustainability and Resiliency of No-Till Corn Silage Production and Soil Characteristics. Agronomy, 13(8), 2082. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13082082

    Government of Alberta. 2022. Faba Bean. Agriculture Marketing Guide. Government of Alberta. https://www.alberta.ca/faba-bean.aspx Accessed May 19, 2022.

    Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). 2017. GrowNotes: Faba Bean. Australian Government.  https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/292833/GRDC-GrowNotes-Faba-Southern.pdf

    Haq, I., Binjawhar, D. N., Ullah, Z., Ali, A., Sher, H., Ali, I. 2022. Wild Vicia Species Possess a Drought Tolerance System for Faba Bean Improvement. Genes, 13(10), 1877. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13101877

    Henriquez, B., Olson, M., Hoy, C., Jackson, M., Wouda, T. 2018. Frost tolerance of faba bean cultivars (Vicia faba L.) in central Alberta. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 98(2): 509-514. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjps-2017-0078

    Heuzé, V., Tran, G., Delagarde, R., Lebas, F., Lessire, M. 2015. Faba bean (Vicia faba). Feedipedia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282646696_Faba_bean_Vicia_faba

    International Seed Morphology Association (ISMA). 2020. Method for Seed Size Measurement. Version 1.0. ISMA Publication Guide. https://www.idseed.org/authors/details/method_for_seed_size_measurement.html

    International Seed Testing Association (ISTA). 2021. Universal List of Species. https://www.seedtest.org/en/services-header/tools/purity-committee/universal-list-species.html

    Maalouf, F., Ahmed, S. and Bishaw, Z. 2021. Chapter 6 – Faba bean in Pratap A. and Gupta S. (Eds.) The Beans and the Peas 2021, pp. 105-131. Woodhead Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-821450-3.00008-1

    Mehran, S. M. and Golshani, B. 2013. Simultaneous determination of levodopa and carbidopa from fava bean, green peas and green beans by high performance liquid gas chromatography. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: Journal of Clinical and Dignostic Reasearch, 7(6): 1004–1007. https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2013/5415.3072

    Muehlbauer, F. D. and Tullu, A. 1998. Vicia faba L. New Crop Fact Sheet. Purdue University Center for New Crops & Plant Products. https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/CropFactSheets/fababean.html

    ‌NatureSpot. 2015. Broad Bean. Naturespot.org.uk.  https://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/broad-bean

    Paul, S.K., and Gupta, D.R. 2021. Faba Bean (Vicia faba L.), A Promising Grain Legume Crop of Bangladesh: A Review. Agricultural Reviews. DOI: 10.18805/ag.R203.

    Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2024. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published at http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org Accessed September 18, 2024.

    Ramírez-Moreno, J. M., Salguero Bodes, I., Romaskevych, O. and Duran-Herrera, M. C. 2015. Broad bean (Vicia faba) consumption and Parkinson’s disease: a natural source of L-dopa to consider. Neurología (English Edition), 30(6), 375–376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nrleng.2013.08.006

    Rijntjes, M. 2019. Knowing Your Beans in Parkinson’s Disease: A Critical Assessment of Current Knowledge about Different Beans and Their Compounds in the Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and in Animal Models. Parkinson’s disease, 2019, 1349509. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/1349509

    Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG). 2025. Faba beans. https://saskpulse.com/growing-pulses/faba-beans/faba-beans-seeding/#Description_And_Adaptation Accessed April 02, 2025.

    Sharma, V. and Salwan, R. 2023. Soil microbiology. Laboratory Methods in Microbiology and Molecular Biology, 59-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95078-7.00001-2

    ‌Smither-Kopperl, M. 2019. Plant Guide for fava bean (Vicia faba). USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, Lockeford Plant Materials Center. Lockeford, CA 95237. https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_vifa.pdf

    Transparency Market Research. 2020. Faba Beans Market Global Industry Report, 2030. Transparencymarketresearch.com. https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/faba-beans-market.html

    United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Services (USDA-ARS). 2024. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomysearch Accessed September 18, 2024.

    United States Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). 2024. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC, USA. https://plants.usda.gov/home Accessed September 18, 2024.

    Vishnupriya, S., Roshini, D., Bhavaniramya, S., Karthiayani andRamar, V. 2024. Chapter 14: Faba bean starch: structure, functionality, and applications in Non-Conventional Starch Sources: Properties, Functionality, and Applications. pp. 409 – 438. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-18981-4.00014-8

    World Flora Online (WFO). 2024. Available at: http://www.worldfloraonline.org Accessed September 18, 2024.

    Author(s)

    AUTEUR(S)

    Angela Salzl, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada ssts@inspection.gc.ca

    Lyrae Willis, Environmental Science Freelance Writer

    Acknowledgement:
    To Krishan Shah, former student of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, for his assistance with the literature search and summary.

    contactus@idseed.org

    Last updated
    on 2023-03-27

    © 2025 ISMA - International Seed Morphology Association