Stats

Lifespan: Annual
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: North Africa
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Uncommon

About

The fava bean is one of the oldest cultivated crops, grown for over 8,000 years across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Its sturdy upright stems fix atmospheric nitrogen through root nodules — and its seeds contain compounds that can trigger a dangerous haemolytic reaction in people with G6PD deficiency, a condition known as favism.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Vicia
Species: Vicia faba