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{{Mergefrom|Loment|date=May 2007}}
A '''legume''' is a [[plant]] in the family [[Fabaceae]] (or Leguminosae), or a [[fruit]] of these plants.  A '''legume''' fruit is a [[Fruit#Simple fruit|simple dry fruit]] which develops from a simple [[carpel]] and usually [[Dehiscence (botany)|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 legumes include [[alfalfa]], [[clover]], [[pea]]s, [[bean]]s, [[lentil]]s, [[lupin]]s and [[peanut]]s. A peanut is not a [[Nut (fruit)|nut]] in the botanical sense; a peanut is an [[Dehiscence (botany)|indehiscent]] legume, that is, one whose pod does not split open on its own.[[Image:Soybeanvarieties.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Varieties of soybean seeds, a popular legume]]
[[Image:Doperwt rijserwt peulen Pisum sativum.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Pea pods]]

The [[bean#History|history of legumes]] is tied in closely with that of human civilization, having originated in [[Asia]] during the stone age and spread to the [[Americas]] (green beans and peas) and [[Europe]] (broad beans) by 6,000 [[Anno Domini|BC]], where they became a staple, essential for supplementing protein where there was not enough meat.

Legume plants are noteworthy for their ability to [[nitrogen fixation|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 can belong to numerous classes including [[forage]], [[cereal|grain]], blooms, pharmaceutical/industrial, fallow/green manure and timber species, with most commercially farmed species filling two or more roles simultaneously.

* Forage legumes are of two broad types. Some, like [[alfalfa]], [[clover]], [[vetch]], stylo or [[Arachis]], are sown in [[pasture]] and grazed by livestock. Other forage legumes such as [[Leucaena]] or [[Albizia]] are woody shrub or tree species that are either broken down by livestock or regularly cut by humans to provide stock feed.
 
* Grain legumes are cultivated for their [[seed]]s, and are also called [[pulse (legume)|pulse]]s. The seeds are used for human and animal consumption or for the production of oils for industrial uses. Grain legumes include [[bean]]s, [[lentil]]s, [[lupin]]s, [[pea]]s and [[peanut]]s.<ref>The gene bank and breeding of grain legumes (lupine, vetch, soya and beah) / B.S. Kurlovich and S.I. Repyev (Eds.), - St. Petersburg, The N.I. Vavilov Institute of Plant Industry, 1995, 438p. - (Theoretical basis of plant breeding. V.111)</ref>

* Bloom legume species include species such as [[lupin]] which are farmed commercially for their blooms as well as being popular in gardens worldwide.

* Industrial farmed legumes include [[Indigofera]] and [[Acacia]] species which are cultivated for dye and food gum production respectively.

* Fallow/green manure legume species are cultivated to be tilled back into the soil in order exploit the high nitrogen levels found in most legumes. Numerous legumes are farmed for this purpose including [[Leucaena]], Cyamopsis and [[Sesbania]] species.

* Various legume species are farmed for timber production worldwide including numerous [[Acacia]] species, Erythroxylum species and [[Castanospermum australe]].

The term is derived from the [[French language|French]] word "lÃ©gume" which, however, has a wider meaning and refers to any kind of [[vegetable]]; the English word legume being translated in French by the word lÃ©gumineuse.

Legumes are a good source of [[iron]] and [[fibe
r]]. {{Fact|date=April 2007}} 

<gallery>
Image:Arachis hypogaea.jpg|Freshly-dug peanuts (''Arachis hypogaea'')
Image:TrifoliumRepensFlowers.jpg|White clover, a forage crop
</gallery>

== References ==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Pulse (legume)]]

==External links==
*[http://www.grainlegumes.com AEP] - European association for grain legume research
*[http://lupins-bk.blogspot.com/ Lupins] - Geography, classification, genetic resources and breeding
*[http://www.ildis.org/ ILDIS] - International Legume Database & Information Service
*[http://www.legumechef.com/English/Variedades_en.htm Legume classes] from LegumeChef.com

[[Category:botanical nomenclature]]
[[Category:Legumes| ]]
[[Category:plant morphology]]