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A selection of dried pulses and fresh legumes. Legumes (/ ˈ l ɛ ɡ j uː m, l ə ˈ ɡ j uː m /) are plants in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses.
Legumes are economically and culturally important plants due to their extraordinary diversity and abundance, the wide variety of edible vegetables they represent and due to the variety of uses they can be put to: in horticulture and agriculture, as a food, for the compounds they contain that have medicinal uses and for the oil and fats they ...
The genus Vicia is part of the subfamily Faboideae which is contained in the flowering plant family Fabaceae or commonly known as legume or bean family, of the order Fabales in the kingdom Plantae. [3] Lentil plants in the field before flowering. The former genus Lens consisted of the cultivated L. culinaris and six related wild taxa.
Foods from plant sources. Plants as a food source are divided into seeds, fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains and nuts. [36] Where plants fall within these categories can vary, with botanically described fruits such as the tomato, squash, pepper and eggplant or seeds like peas commonly considered vegetables. [37]
Plants called legumes, including the agricultural crops alfalfa and soybeans, widely grown by farmers, harbour nitrogen-fixing bacteria that can convert atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen the plant can use. Plants not classified as legumes such as wheat, corn and rice rely on nitrogen compounds present in the soil to support their growth.
The word 'bean', for the Old World vegetable, existed in Old English, [3] long before the New World genus Phaseolus was known in Europe. With the Columbian exchange of domestic plants between Europe and the Americas, use of the word was extended to pod-borne seeds of Phaseolus, such as the common bean and the runner bean, and the related genus Vigna.
The most abundant mineral in the raw lima bean is potassium, followed by calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, and iron. When lima beans germinate, there is increased bioavailability of calcium and phosphorus. [27] Additionally, it is a good source of vitamin B 6. [30]
Cowpea seeds provide a rich source of proteins and food energy, as well as minerals and vitamins. [69] This complements the mainly cereal diet in countries that grow cowpeas as a major food crop. [78] A seed can consist of 25% protein and has very low fat content. [79]