Legume

This article is about the fruit of the plants also called 'legumes'. For the plants themselves, see Fabaceae .

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. 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.

File:Soybeanvarieties.jpg

Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume

File:Doperwt rijserwt peulen Pisum sativum.jpg

Pea pods

The term is derived from the French word "légume" which, however, has a wider meaning and refers to any kind of vegetable; the English word legume being translated in French by the word légumineuse.

Legumes are a good source of iron and fiber.

• Arachis hypogaea.jpg

  Freshly-dug peanuts (Arachis hypogaea)

• TrifoliumRepensFlowers.jpg

  White clover, a forage crop

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Legumes

• Pulse (legume)

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

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