Plants: Grain Legumes (Pulses)
Lablab Lablab purpureus (syn. Dolichos lablab, Lablab niger)
Lablab Bean is capable of growing in a wide range of climatic conditions and soil types, depending upon the variety chosen. It is widely cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics and occurs wild in tropical Africa (including Madagascar) and India. The palatability of lablab surpasses that...
Lentil Lens culinaris
Lentils are among the oldest of cultivated crops. This species has long been cultivated along with cereal grains in the semi-arid regions of the Middle East and in Northern Africa. Lentils are classified as pulses or food legumes. Lentil is well adapted to semi-arid growing conditions within cool...
Lima Bean Phaseolus lunatus
Lima Beans were first grown in coastal Peru then Central America at altitudes of up to 2000 m (6500 ft). When boxes of Lima Beans were shipped to the U.S. and Europe from the large port of Lima, they were labeled “Limas – Peru” and the name Lima became common for this legume.
Marama Bean Tylosema esculentum
The Marama Bean is a wild plant prized by people living in and around the Kalahari in southern Africa
Moth Bean Vigna aconitifolia
This bean is indigenous to semi-arid regions of India where it is known as the most drought-tolerant legume grown in the country. It is a seed crop in parts of China, Thailand, southern Africa and a fodder crop in the USA.
Mung Bean Vigna radiata
Native to the Northeastern India-Burma region of Asia. The Mung Bean is cultivated most extensively in the India-Burma-Thailand region of Southeastern Asia as well as in other countries such as Iran, Pakistan, Vietnam and China.
NuÑas Phaseolus vulgaris
From findings discovered in a cave in Peru, experts say that nuñas may have been available 11,000 years ago. This discovery indicates Nuñas were around well before the Incas, and perhaps before the common bean ('frijol', Spanish). Because of their age, Nuñas have been...
Peanut Arachis hypogaea
Native to South America, the Peanut is not really a nut but is a legume belonging to the bean family.
Pigeon Pea Cajanus cajan
The Pigeon Pea probably originated in tropical Africa but is now popular in SE Asia, the Caribbean, east and west Africa and the tropics of the U.S. It is a shrubby, drought-tolerant, fast-growing legume with a long tap root and a mass of fibrous roots. It can grow up to 4 m (13 ft) in...
Rice Bean Vigna umbellata
The Rice Bean is a legume, native of Southeast Asia where it is still widely cultivated. It is a pulse crop (grown for its dried edible seeds) and is well known in the tropics where there is great variability.