Seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Limburgs vroege were sown in peat moss supplemented with ZnSO4 (600 mg kg-`) and irrigated with distilled water for 14 days. Ten growth criteria and 12 anatomical measurements in the shoot (hypocotyl, epicotyl and primary leaves) were reduced by ZnSO4 but remained unaffected in the root, despite greater accumulation of Znz+ in roots. Shoots and roots of P. vulgaris seedlings seemed to show differential sensitivity to Zn stress. Reduction in shoot growth criteria seemed to result from a decrease in parenchyma cell size and diameters of metaxylem vessels in the leaf midrib. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) revealed the presence of compacted grana with reduced thylakoids in chloroplasts, which might have contributed to the recorded loss of chl-a, chl-b and carotenoids. In primary leaves, occlusion of intercellular spaces and impregnation of middle lamellae with Zn seemed to hamper substomatal CO2 diffusion, while increased K`-leakage indicated Zn-induced injury to cell membranes. The Zn-induced 6-fold increase in stomatal deformation, reduction in frequency of normal stomata, photosynthetic pigments and substomatal CO2 concentration in primary leaves, coupled with reductions in cell enlargement, transport capacity of xylem in the shoot, might have resulted collectively in the measured reduction in the photosynthetic rate which would in turn lead to the observed reductions in shoot growth criteria.