The Scarlet Runner Bean is grown mainly as an ornamental for its showy red flowers, but the White Dutch varieties are grown for the edible pods and the white mature seeds.
Plants are strong growing, slender and vining, with large leaves.
Pods are 3 to 6 inches long and curved. Seeds are large, near an inch long, flattened or near cylindrical. In exposure and general culture, edible varieties resemble pole snap beans. The edible types are sparingly grown in the U.S., but are occasionally seen in markets, particularly in the Southwest. No data are available on total production.