Thisisme, sorry for the delayed response; I've been offline since October due to a dead computer. The only yardlong I've grown that even remotely resembles a snap bean is "Sierra Madre", from the Philippines. I don't think it is sold in the U.S., unless under a different name. It's similar in length to "Galante" above (also from the Philippines), but darker green & wider. HOWEVER... I've often said that you can learn good things in a bad year, and this year I learned something new about yardlongs. There was record rainfall in my area this year. While beans struggled (they don't like wet feet) the yardlongs flourished. All of the yardlongs stayed tender to a larger width than I usually consider usable; they really benefited from all the extra moisture. Up until now, when irrigation was necessary (it wasn't this year) I've always watered everything equally. From now on, the yardlongs get more frequent watering. So I guess what I am saying is for the largest (widest) beans regardless of the variety - mulch the roots heavily & keep them watered. I don't know how well yardlongs will tolerate the extreme heat of the desert Southwest. They are tropical plants, but do their best in warm humid locations. Only one way to find out, I suppose. ;-) It may be that you would need to shelter the plants with shade cloth over the top during the hottest part of the summer, leaving the sides open. Mey, unfortunately there are both common beans & yardlong seeds that match both of your descriptions above. There are many black-seeded yardlong cultivars, quite a few of which are sold in the U.S. There are also brown or reddish-brown seeds w/white patches; the varieties I have from the Philippines share this characteristic. I'll try to post a comparative photo of some of my yardlong seeds... but if you are able to post a photo of yours, I could help with the identification.

Thanks for the tips. The Insuk's Wang Kong beans look exactly like the scarlet emperor runner beans (plants, pods and seeds) we have in our garden right now, though the seeds may be a little smaller (haven't let any mature all the way yet). I wonder if the seeds I bought from Territorial are this strain? I'll probably give the agrohaitai beans a try... since no one mentions them here, it will be interesting to report on a new type to others.

Although I grow a lot of yardlong beans, I have never grown those. I would suggest looking at the seeds, to see if they are the same color. Most yardlongs sold in the U.S. have either black or red seeds, and there are multiple varieties in each color. As a rule, the black-seeded varieties I've grown have had short DTM's, and very large yields - but not always the best texture & flavor. Red seeded varieties are usually later, and have firmer, sweeter pods. For spacing, I generally use 12-15" between plants; they will cover a 6' trellis (and beyond!) at that spacing. If your support is shorter than that, crowding them - such as 3-4 every 12" - should stunt the vines into a shorter height.

Mine always look like that early in the season when it's cool. Once the heat hits they straighten out. I never bother picking off leaves or treating them, and they've always grown out of it. I keep reminding myself to plant them later so I avoid it, but I never listen to myself...