Many pinto varieties are indeterminate or vining varieties; a few grow as determinate bush plants. No pinto bean varieties grow on trees.
Bush varieties are short plants growing upright. Pinto beans prefer warm weather, and will die at the first frost. The plants are called "bush-type" because of the plant style, but they are not true bushes. Agassiz is a commercially grown bush variety of pinto beans.
Most vining varieties require the support of a pole or trellis to keep the beans off the ground. The pinto bean plant grab the support and naturally hold on by winding a tendril around it. In addition, some vining varieties grow upright without the need of a support. Common vining varieties include: Apache, Arapaho, Bill-Z, Chase, Elizabeth, Fargo, Fiesta, Hatton, Maverick, Othello, and Topaz.