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legume
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garden pea pods common honey locust tamarind fruit guar legumes legume; amino acid
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garden pea pods
garden pea pods Garden pea pods (Pisum sativum).

legume

fruit of Fabaceae plants
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Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
Also known as: pod
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Last Updated: • Article History
Also called:
pod
Related Topics:
bean
peanut
soybean
pea
lentil

News •

Study finds hot dogs and processed meats can shorten healthy life by up to 36 minutes per serving • Dec. 17, 2024, 3:37 AM ET (Jerusalem Post)
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common honey locust
common honey locustLeaves and pods of the common honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos).

legume, fruit of plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). Most legumes are dehiscent fruits that release their seeds by splitting open along two seams, though some, such as peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) and carobs (Ceratonia siliqua), do not naturally open. The fruits come in a variety of sizes and shapes; many, however, are long and narrow and bear their seeds in a single line. The largest legumes are borne by the monkey ladder (Entada gigas) and can reach up to 2 metres (6.6 feet) in length. At maturity, legume fruits are usually dry and papery or hard and woody; the legumes of certain food crops, such as snow peas (variety of Pisum sativum), edamame (Glycine max), and green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), are harvested while still green and fleshy.

tamarind fruit
1 of 2
tamarind fruitTamarind (Tamarindus indica) legume with pulp.
guar legumes
2 of 2
guar legumesGuar, or cluster beans (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), native to India.

Legumes furnish food for humans and animals and provide edible oils, fibres, and raw material for plastics. Many are grown for their edible seeds, which are high in protein and contain many of the essential amino acids. For important members of the legume family, see bean; chickpea; cowpea; lentil; pea; peanut; soybean; and tamarind.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.