Other Legumes

• Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan)

Plant type: drought-resistant small tree

Native to: India

Parts eaten: young pods and seeds, young shoots and leaves (cooked), mature seeds (cooked or sprouted and cooked)

• Horse Gram (Macrotyloma uniflorum)

Plant type: vine or sprawling bush

Native to: India

Parts eaten: seeds (cooked, sprouted, or ground into flour)

• Water Mimosa (Neptunia oleracea)

Plant type: sprawling, tropical land or aquatic plant

Native to: southeast Asia

Parts eaten: young shoots, leaves, stems and pods (raw or coooked)

• Moth Bean (Phaseolus aconitifolius)

Plant type: drought-resistant sprawling bush

Native to: India

Parts eaten: seeds (sprouted)

• Winged Bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)

Plant type: tropical perennial vine

Native to: New Guinea

Parts eaten: flowers (used as food coloring), young leaves (raw or cooked), young pods (raw or cooked), roots (cooked), dried seeds (ground and cooked)

• Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum)

Plant type: bush

Native to: Middle East

Parts eaten: seeds (sprouted), leaves (cooked), dried seeds (as spice).

• Morama Bean (Tylosema esculentum)

Plant type: drought-resistant perennial vine

Native to: arid southern Africa

Parts eaten: seeds (cooked), young tubers (cooked)

• Black Gram (Vigna mungo)

Plant type: bush or half-runner

Native to: India

Parts eaten: seeds (cooked)

• Mung Bean (Vigna radiata)

Plant type: bush

Native to: India

Parts eaten: seeds (cooked)

• Rice Bean (Vigna umbellata)

Plant type: vine

Native to: Indo-China

Parts eaten: seeds (cooked), green pods

Caution

• Sea Pea (Lathyrus japonicus)

Plant type: short vines

Native to: coastal Asia, Europe, North and South America

Parts eaten: green pods, but like many other species of Lathyrus, contains neurotoxins that cause permanent damage when eaten in sufficient quantity.

• Grasspea (Lathyrus sativus)

Plant type: drought-tolerant short vines

Native to: Europe

Parts eaten: young seeds, mature seeds (dried and cooked). Contains a neurotoxin that causes permanent paralysis when consumed in quantity over time; e.g., when used as a staple food for more than a month.

• Lupini (Lupinus albus, Lupinus angustifolius, Lupinus luteus, and Lupinus mutabilis)

Wildflowers. Seeds ground into flour and added to other foods, or pickled and eaten after extensive soaking and boiling to remove bitter alkaloids. A known allergen, and if incorrectly prepared can cause poisoning, which is unpleasant but rarely fatal.

• Velvet Bean (Mucuna pruriens)

Plant type: tropical climbing shrub covered in itchy hairs

Native to: Africa, India, Caribbean

Parts eaten: young shoots and seeds (cooked and soaked extensively to reduce toxins)

Underground

• American Groundnut (Apios americana)

Plant type: perennial vine

Native to: eastern North America

Parts eaten: flowers, young pods, seeds (cooked), tubers (cooked or dried)

• Sword Bean (Canavalia gladiata)

Plant type: tropical tree

Native to: Old World

Parts eaten: young pods, mature seeds (cooked fermented, or roasted and ground as a coffee substitute). Mildy toxic/anti-nutritional, which can be reduced by heat and soaking (discussed in the paper "Canavanine content in sword beans: Analysis and effects of processing").

• Hausa Groundnut (Macrotyloma geocarpum)

Plant type: drought-resistant tropical bush with underground peanut-like pods

Native to: west Africa

Parts eaten: seeds

• Bitter Bean (Parkia speciosa)

Plant type: tropical tree

Native to: Malaysia

Parts eaten: young pods (raw, cooked, or pickled), mature pods and seeds (cooked or dried)

• Buffalo Pea (Pediomelum cuspidatum)

Plant type: perennial wildflower

Native to: Texas prairies

Parts eaten: tubers

• Little Breadroot (Pediomelum hypogaeum)

Plant type: perennial wildflower

Native to: Texas prairies

Parts eaten: tubers

• Prairie Turnip (Psoralea esculenta)

Plant type: perennial wildflower

Native to: central North America

Parts eaten: tubers (raw, cooked, or dried)

• Bambara Groundnut (Vigna subterranea)

Plant type: drought- and heat-resistant bush with underground peanut-like pods

Native to: west Africa

Parts eaten: seeds (fresh, or dried and cooked)

Trees

• Wattleseed (Acacia holosericea, Acacia victoriae, and others)

Plant type: shrubby trees

Native to: Australia

Parts eaten: young seeds (cooked), mature seeds (dried and ground and mixed into desserts or breads)

• Siberian Peashrub (Caragana arborescens)

Plant type: perennial shrub or small tree

Native to: Siberia, Mongolia, China, Kazakhstan

Parts eaten: flowers (raw), seeds (cooked)

• Carob (Ceratonia siliqua)

Plant type: drought-tolerant evergreen tree

Native to: Mediterranean Europe and Africa

Parts eaten: mature pods (dried or roasted and ground)

• Sweet Detar (Detarium microcarpum and Detarium senegalense)

Plant type: tree

Native to: west and central Africa

Parts eaten: fruit (fresh, dried, or cooked). Some trees produce poisonous fruits.

• Ice Cream Bean (Inga edulis and Inga feuilleei)

Plant type: tropical trees

Native to: Central and South America

Parts eaten: pulp inside mature pods

• Tahitian Chestnut (Inocarpus fagifer)

Plant type: evergreen tropical tree

Native to: southeast Asia and southwest Pacific

Parts eaten: seed (cooked)

• Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)

Thorny hardwood tree. Pulp inside pods eaten fresh or fermented to make beer.

• Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)

Drought-tolerant short tree. Young pods cooked, flowers and young seeds eaten raw, mature seeds ground for flour.

• Madras Thorn (Pithecellobium dulce)

Plant type: thorny tree

Native to: Mexico, Central and South America

Parts eaten: pulp inside pods

• White Carob Tree (Prosopis alba)

Plant type: tropical tree

Native to: South America

Parts eaten: pulp inside pods (ground into flour or fermented into alcohol)

• Black Carob Tree (Prosopis nigra)

Plant type: tropical tree

Native to: South America

Parts eaten: paste inside of mature pods (milled into flour or fermented into alcohol)

Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens) Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina)

• Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)

Plant type: tropical tree

Native to: tropical Africa

Parts eaten: pulp inside pods (used in desserts, jam, drinks, and snacks)