Fava Braod Windsor bean is a large, flat, edible, starchy seed of an Old World upright vetch (Vicia faba). It is typically pale green to whitish in color and is eaten raw, blanched, or cooked. As a cover crop, fava beans have one of the highest nitrogen-fixing rates, and the large, deep roots break up even heavy clay and compacted soil.
Pollination occurs by insect, bird, wind, humans, or other natural mechanisms. Because there are no restrictions on the flow of pollen between individuals, open-pollinated plants are more genetically diverse. However, as long as pollen is not shared between different varieties within the same species, then the seed produced will remain true-to-type year after year.
* This is an estimated guide. Conditions may vary considerably due to location.