Trail of Tears Cherokee Bean (P. vulgaris)

Trail of Tears Bean (P. vulgaris): an ancient North American climbing variety, even as it is amongst the earliest and most productive, it unfortunately has a very sad history behind it. As the name implies (trail of tears) these beans were brought from the Cherokee lands during the ominous death march that took them, forced, from the Smoky Mountains of Oklahoma (1838-39) to the lands of the West destined for them. The deaths were many, more than 4000 Cherokee lost their lives. The variety is also known as Cherokee Black, the greenish-purple 15/18 cm pods contain shiny corvine black seeds. The plant is vigorous, very productive, starting two months after transplantation, continuous harvest of dried pods is recommended to increase production. In addition to the beauty of the seeds, the great precocity and productivity this cultivar has a great historical interest.