Horticultural, Worcester

Pole, dry. 100 days. Fawn-colored, cranberry-spotted. Most pods contained five or six beans although some nurtured only a couple massive beans. They started out a uniform light green pods, and as they matured, developed pale magenta streaks. Grows 8 feet tall will need trellis or arch. During its heyday, the Worcester-based Ross Bros. seed catalog touted it as, “The Largest Bean, The Longest Keeper, The Brightest Pod, The Most Productive,” even in drought years when seed growers had had mixed results. Donated to SSE in 1981 by bean collector John Withee. Grown in Worcester County, MA again starting in 2022, as part of SSE's RENEW program.