A legume is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or a fruit of these plants. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Fabaceae or Leguminosae is a large and economically important family of Flowering plants which is commonly known as the legume family, pea The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A legume fruit is a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman" is the Female reproductive part of a Flower. Dehiscence is the spontaneous opening at maturity of a plant structure such as a Fruit, Anther, or Sporangium, to release its contents A common name for this type of fruit is a "pod", although pod is also applied to a few other fruit types. Well-known legumes include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lentils, lupins, and peanuts. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal The lentil or daal or pulse ( Lens culinaris) is a bushy Annual plant of the legume family grown for its lens-shaped Seeds Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family The peanut, or Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the Legume family Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico A peanut is not a nut in the botanical sense; a peanut is an indehiscent legume, that is, one whose pod does not split open on its own. Nut is a general term for the large dry oily Seeds or Fruit of some Plants. Dehiscence is the spontaneous opening at maturity of a plant structure such as a Fruit, Anther, or Sporangium, to release its contents

Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume

Pea pods

The history of legumes is tied in closely with that of human civilization, appearing early in Asia, the Americas (the common bean, several varieties), and Europe (broad beans) by 6,000 BC, where they became a staple, essential for supplementing protein where there was not enough meat. Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America

Legume plants are noteworthy for their ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen, an accomplishment attributable to a symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria known as rhizobia found in root nodules of these plants. Nitrogen fixation is the process by which Nitrogen is taken from its natural relatively inert molecular form (N2 in the atmosphere and converted into This article is about the biological phenomenon for other uses see Symbiosis (disambiguation The term symbiosis (from the Greek Rhizobia (from the Greek words rhiza = root and bios = Life are Soil bacteria that fix Nitrogen ( Diazotrophy Root nodules occur on the roots of plants that associate with Vigna bacteria. The ability to form this symbiosis reduces fertilizer costs for farmers and gardeners who grow legumes, and means that legumes can be used in a crop rotation to replenish soil that has been depleted of nitrogen. Fertilizers ( also spelt fertiliser are chemical compounds given to Plants to promote growth they are usually applied either through the soil for uptake by plant Nitrogen (ˈnaɪtɹəʤɪn is a Chemical element that has the symbol N and Atomic number 7 and Atomic weight 14

Legume seed and foliage have a comparatively higher protein content than non-legume material, probably due to the additional nitrogen that legumes receive through nitrogen-fixation symbiosis. Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl This high protein content makes them desirable crops in agriculture. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture

Farmed legumes can belong to numerous classes including forage, grain, blooms, pharmaceutical/industrial, fallow/green manure, and timber species, with most commercially farmed species filling two or more roles simultaneously. Forage is plant material (mainly plant leaves and stems eaten by grazing Livestock.

• Forage legumes are of two broad types. Some, like alfalfa, clover, vetch, stylo, or Arachis, are sown in pasture and grazed by livestock. Alfalfa ( Medicago sativa) is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop Alsike redirects here Alsike Sweden is also a town in the Knivsta Municipality, Sweden. Vicia ( Vetches) is a large genus of about 140 species of Flowering plants in the family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Arachis is a Genus of about 70 Species of annual and perennial Flowering plants in the pea family ( Fabaceae) native to South Pasture is land with Herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of Ungulate Livestock as part of a Farm or Ranch. Other forage legumes such as Leucaena or Albizia are woody shrub or tree species that are either broken down by livestock or regularly cut by humans to provide stock feed. Leucaena is a Genus of about 24 species of leguminous trees and shrubs distributed from Texas, U Albizia is a Genus of about 150 Species of mostly fast-growing Subtropical and Tropical Trees and Shrubs

• Grain legumes are cultivated for their seeds, and are also called pulses. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Pulses are annual leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve Grains or Seeds of variable size shape and color within a Pod, according The seeds are used for human and animal consumption or for the production of oils for industrial uses. Grain legumes include beans, lentils, lupins, peas, and peanuts. Bean is a common name for large plant Seeds of several genera of the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae used for human food or animal The lentil or daal or pulse ( Lens culinaris) is a bushy Annual plant of the legume family grown for its lens-shaped Seeds Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family A pea (inaccurately called a '''sweet pea''' by food distubutors is most commonly the small spherical Seed or the seed-pod of the Legume Pisum The peanut, or Groundnut ( Arachis hypogaea) is a species in the Legume family Fabaceae native to South America, Mexico ^[1]

• Bloom legume species include species such as lupin, which are farmed commercially for their blooms as well as being popular in gardens worldwide. Lupin, often spelled lupine in North America, is the common name for members of the Genus Lupinus in the legume family

• Industrial farmed legumes include Indigofera and Acacia species, which are cultivated for dye and food gum production respectively. Indigofera is a large genus of about 700 species of Flowering plants belonging to the family Fabaceae. Acacia is a Genus of Shrubs and Trees belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first

• Fallow/green manure legume species are cultivated to be tilled back into the soil in order exploit the high nitrogen levels found in most legumes. Numerous legumes are farmed for this purpose including Leucaena, Cyamopsis, and Sesbania species. Leucaena is a Genus of about 24 species of leguminous trees and shrubs distributed from Texas, U Sesbania is a genus from the family Fabaceae with some aquatic species

• Various legume species are farmed for timber production worldwide including numerous Acacia species, Erythroxylum species and Castanospermum australe. Acacia is a Genus of Shrubs and Trees belonging to the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first Castanospermum australe ( Moreton Bay Chestnut or Blackbean) the only species in the genus Castanospermum, is a Flowering

The term is derived from the Latin word legumen (with the same meaning as the English term), which is in turn believed to come from the verb legere "to gather. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. " English borrowed the term from the French "légume," which, however, has a wider meaning in the modern language and refers to any kind of vegetable; the English word legume being translated in French by the word légumineuse. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The term " vegetable " generally means the edible parts of Plants The definition of the word is traditional rather than Scientific, however

Legumes are good sources of iron and fiber. Iron (ˈаɪɚn is a Chemical element with the symbol Fe (ferrum and Atomic number 26 Fiber or fibre is a class of Materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces similar to lengths of thread.

Freshly-dug peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)

White clover, a forage crop

See also

• Pulse (legume)

References

External links

• AEP - European association for grain legume research
• Lupins - Geography, classification, genetic resources and breeding
• ILDIS - International Legume Database & Information Service
• Legume classes from LegumeChef. com