Phaseolus lunatus has nourished people across the Americas for thousands of years, cultivated long before European contact and carried across trade routes that stretched from the Andes to the Caribbean and north into what is now the American Southwest. The genus name tracks back to the same Greek root as the ancient bean of the Old World, but the lima is unmistakably its own thing: larger, fleshier, and instantly recognizable by the fine lines that radiate outward from the hilum on its inner curved surface.

Worth noting is the plant's classification as poisonous in its raw state. Wild varieties of Phaseolus lunatus contain cyanogenic compounds that are neutralized by cooking, and while cultivated varieties have been bred to much lower levels, the beans should always be cooked before eating. Grow in full sun with rich, well-drained soil, and patience — limas are slower to mature than snap beans and prefer long, warm summers to develop their full, buttery flavor.