This common annual bean is widely grown in gardens, with many cultivars, and self-seeded waifs occasionally appear near plantings. But, like P. coccinea L. ("scarlet runners") and several other types of cultivated bean, it is not truly naturalized. Native people in eastern states cultivated vulgaris in pre-Columbian times, as an introduction from the south. "Green beans" are picked early before seeds mature, and are especially popular in Ky., with two general types: stringless or French beans, which lack a tough, fibrous string along the length of the pod; and string or snap beans, which may be round or have a flat pod.