Phaseolin is the major seed storage protein of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). It is encoded by a small multigene family of 6-9 genes that are clustered in a single complex locus (Phs). We have constructed a long-range restriction map of the phaseolin genomic region, including the Phs locus and two flanking marker loci, D1861 and Bng060. Using a combination of high molecular weight DNA isolation, one- and two-dimensional pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of single and double restriction digests followed by Southern hybridization, and PCR analysis of individual fragments, we found that: (i) the maximum size of the Phs locus is 190 kb, (ii) the Phs locus may have increased in size during the evolution of P. vulgaris, (iii) the genomic region marked by D1861-Phs-Bng060 spans 5 cM, which corresponds to a maximum of 1.9 Mb, and (iv) the Phs locus could be oriented with respect to the two adjacent markers. Further progress in determining the gene arrangement in the Phs locus will require cloning and analysis of large DNA fragments containing phaseolin genes via BAC libraries. Key words : multigene family, physical distance, genome mapping, seed protein.