Legume
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Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume |
The term
legume has two closely related meanings in
botany, a situation encountered with many botanical common names of useful
plants, whereby an applied name can refer to either the plant itself, or to the edible fruit (or useful part). Thus, "legume" can be:
* The common name for plant species in the Family
Fabaceae (or Leguminosae);
* The name of a type of
fruit, characteristic of leguminous plants::A
legume is a
simple dry fruit which develops from a simple
carpel and usually
dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. A common name for this type of fruit is a "pod", although pod is also applied to a few other fruit types. Well-known plants that bear
legume fruits include
alfalfa,
clover,
peas,
beans,
lupins and
peanuts. 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.
Legumes 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. 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.
Legume seed and foliage has a comparatively higher
protein content than non-legume material, probably due to the additional nitrogen that legumes receive through nitrogen-fixation symbiosis. This high protein content makes them desirable crops in
agriculture.
Farmed legumes fall into two classes:
forage and
grain.
* Forage legumes, like
alfalfa,
clover and
vetch, are sown in
pasture and grazed by livestock.
* Grain legumes are cultivated for their
seeds, and are also called
pulses. 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.
The term is derived from the
French word "légume" (which, however, has a wider meaning and refers to any kind of
vegetable).
*
AEP - European association for grain legume research
*
Mediterrasian - Article discussing health benefits of eating legumes
*
Lupins - Geography, classification, genetic resources and breeding
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Freshly-dug peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) |
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White clover, a forage crop |
