Knowra Legume Legume A legume is a dry fruit that develops from one carpel and typically splits along two seams when mature. Peas, beans, and lentils are seeds contained within legumes.
Carpel : A flowering-plant organ that bears ovules and develops into a fruit after fertilization. A legume develops from one carpel, unlike fruits formed from several carpels.
Fruit : A mature flowering-plant ovary, sometimes joined by associated tissues, that contains seeds. Legumes are one specialized kind of flowering-plant fruit.
Fabaceae : A large flowering-plant family that includes peas, beans, clovers, and many trees. Legumes are the defining fruit type of plants in this family.
Pea pod : The elongated fruit of a pea plant, containing several seeds along its inner seam. A pea pod illustrates the familiar seed-bearing form of a legume.
Dehiscence : The opening of a mature fruit or seed pod to release its contents. Legumes typically release seeds by splitting along two seams.
Dry fruit : A fruit whose mature wall is dry rather than fleshy. Legumes belong to the broad class of dry fruits.
Pulse (legume seed) : A dried edible seed harvested from certain legume crops, including lentils, chickpeas, and dry beans. Pulses are seeds from legume fruits, not the fruits themselves.
Silique : An elongated dry fruit formed from two carpels, with seeds attached to a central partition. A silique resembles a legume but develops from two carpels rather than one.
Suture : A seam where parts of a structure meet or join. The two longitudinal seams of a legume mark where its mature pod opens.
Follicle (botany) : A dry fruit formed from one carpel that usually opens along one seam. Follicles also develop from one carpel, but typically open along only one seam.
Show all 21