Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume

A flowering 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: Download high resolution version (624x948, 203 KB)Varieties of soybeans http://www. ... Download high resolution version (624x948, 203 KB)Varieties of soybeans http://www. ... Botany is the scientific study of plant life. ...

• the common name for plant species in the Family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae);
• the name of a type of fruit, characteristic of legumous plants. To wit:

A legume is a simple dry fruit that 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, pea, bean, and peanuts. A peanut is not a nut in the botanical sense; a peanut is an indehiscent legume, that is, one that does not spontaneously split open along a seam.

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 that grow legumes, and means that legumes can be used in a crop rotation to replenish soil that has been depleted of nitrogen. Subfamilies Faboideae Caesalpinioideae Mimosoideae References GRIN-CA 2002-09-01 The Family Fabaceae (also as Family Leguminosae) is a grouping of plants in the Order Fabales, and one of the largest families of flowering plants with 650 genera and over 18,000 species. ... Fruit stall in Barcelona, Spain. ... A carpel is the female reproductive organ of a flower; the basic unit of the gynoecium. ... Species Medicago arabica Medicago heldreichii Medicago hybrida Medicago laciniata Medicago littoralis Medicago lupulina Medicago minima Medicago monantha Medicago monspeliaca Medicago orbicularis Medicago polymorpha Medicago praecox Medicago rigidula Medicago rugosa Medicago ruthenica Medicago sativa Medicago scutellata Medicago secundiflora Medicago truncatula Medicago turbinata Ref: ITIS 183622 as of 2002-07-31 Alfalfa... Species See text Clover (Trifolium) is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. ... Binomial name Pisum sativum A pea is the small, edible round green bean which grows in a pod on the leguminous vine Pisum sativum. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a rare item in Singapore, where its value is estimated to be around S$600,000, which was confirmed by the Senior Ministers wife. ... Hazelnuts from the Common Hazel Persian Walnut nuts Chestnuts // Botanical definition A nut in botany is a simple dry fruit with one seed (rarely two) in which the ovary wall or part of it becomes very hard (stony or woody) at maturity. ... Nitrogen fixation is the process by which nitrogen is taken from its relatively inert molecular form (N2) in the atmosphere and converted into nitrogen compounds useful for other chemical processes (such as, notably, ammonia, nitrate and nitrogen dioxide). ... Common Clownfish (Amphiprion ocellaris) in their Magnificent Sea Anemone (Heteractis magnifica) home. ... Rhizobia (from the Greek words Riza = Root and Bios = Life) are soil bacteria that fix nitrogen (diazotrophy) after becoming established inside root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). ... Root nodules occur on the roots of plants that associate with symbiotic bacteria. ... Fertilizers are chemicals given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil or by foliar spraying. ... Crop rotation is the practice of growing two (or more) dissimilar type of crops in the same space in sequence. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 14. ...

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, peanuts and soybeans. A representation of the 3D structure of myoglobin, showing coloured alpha helices. ... Forage is the herbaceous plant material (mainly grasses and legumes) eaten by grazing animals. ... Cereal crops are mostly grasses cultivated for their edible seeds (actually a fruit called a caryopsis). ... Species Medicago arabica Medicago heldreichii Medicago hybrida Medicago laciniata Medicago littoralis Medicago lupulina Medicago minima Medicago monantha Medicago monspeliaca Medicago orbicularis Medicago polymorpha Medicago praecox Medicago rigidula Medicago rugosa Medicago ruthenica Medicago sativa Medicago scutellata Medicago secundiflora Medicago truncatula Medicago turbinata Ref: ITIS 183622 as of 2002-07-31 Alfalfa... Species See text Clover (Trifolium) is a genus of about 300 species of plants in the pea family Fabaceae. ... Binomial name Vicia sativa Vetch or tare is a nitrogen fixing leguminous plant. ... Pastureland Pasture is land with lush herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulates as part of a farm or ranch. ... A SeeD is a term given to mercenaries trained and employed by Balamb Garden in the Final Fantasy VIII video game. ... The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) defines pulses as annual leguminous crops yielding from one to twelve grains or seeds of variable size, shape and color within a pod. ... Green beans Bean is a common name for large plant seeds of several genera of Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae) used for food or feed. ... Binomial name Lens culinaris Medikus The lentil (Lens culinaris) is a bushy annual plant grown for its lens-shaped seeds. ... For other uses of the word see: Lupin (disambiguation) Species over 150 recognised species, including: Lupinus albus Lupinus angustifolius Lupinus arboreus Lupinus luteus Lupinus mutabilis Lupinus nootkatensis Lupinus polyphyllus Lupinus x regalis Lupinus texensis Lupin, often spelled lupine in the US, is the common name for members of the genus... Binomial name Pisum sativum A pea is the small, edible round green bean which grows in a pod on the leguminous vine Pisum sativum. ... Binomial name Arachis hypogaea L. The Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) is a rare item in Singapore, where its value is estimated to be around S$600,000, which was confirmed by the Senior Ministers wife. ... Binomial name Glycine max Soybeans (US) or Soya beans (UK) (Glycine max) are a high-protein legume (family Fabaceae) grown as food for both humans and livestock. ...

Note the similarity to the French word "légume", meaning "vegetable".

External links

• Mediterrasian Article discussing some health benefits of eating legumes