The faba bean (Vicia faba minor) is an ancient small-seeded relative of the Chinese broadbean (V. faba major). The oldest seeds of Vicia faba were found in Jericho and dated at 6250 BC. The crop is grown in the Mediterranean region where it is a common food. In Europe the faba bean is grown primarily as a livestock feed. Britain, where both winter and spring types are grown, is the largest European producer of faba bean. Commercial production of faba bean in Western Canada first occurred in 1972 and since then the area under production has fluctuated.
Faba bean grows upright, ranging from one to 1.5 meters tall. It is an annual legume with one or more strong, hollow, erect stems. Faba bean has a strong tap root, compound leaves and large, white flowers with dark purple markings. A flower cluster may produce one to four pods. The pods are large (up to 10 cm long and one to two cm wide) and green, turning dark at maturity; from brown to black. Three to four oblong/oval seeds (Figure 1) are contained within each pod. Flowering occurs in 45-60 days and faba bean requires 110-130 days to mature. The bushel weight of faba bean is 60 pounds.