The origins of Scarlet runner beans start in South America, since red runner bean plants are native in highlands of Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, where they have been cultivated for thousands of years. They were brought to this country in the early 1700s. Scarlet runner is a popular ornamental vine and is highly sought to see in American gardens, especially in the Pacific Northwest. The plant is a prolific runner, ripening earlier than many other runner beans. Scarlet runner vines grow fast and furiously, easily reaching 20′ feet tall. They are grown as meat substitutes since the huge blossoms, each with an edible vine, growing in masses up to 10 beans on a single stalk. Hummingbirds love them so much that planting scarlet runners is almost a guarantee of increased hummingbird action in your backyard!