Other Legumes
From Beancyclopedia
- 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)
- Jack Bean (Canavalia ensiformis)
- Plant type: vine
- Native to:
- Parts eaten: young leaves, seeds (cooked)
- Sword Bean (Canavalia gladiata)
- Plant type: vine
- Native to: tropical Asia
- Parts eaten: seed (peeled 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
Extra 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)
- Plant type: wildflowers
- Native to: Mediterranean region
- Parts eaten: seeds (ground into flour, or pickled and eaten after extensive soaking and boiling to remove bitter alkaloids). A known allergen, and if incorrectly prepared can cause poisoning, which while unpleasant is 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)
- 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)
- 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").
- 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)
- Plant type: thorny tree
- Native to: central North America
- Parts eaten: pulp inside pods (fresh or fermented into beer)
- Palo Verde (Parkinsonia microphylla)
- Plant type: drought-tolerant shrubby tree
- Native to: southwest USA and northwest Mexico
- Parts eaten: young pods (cooked), flowers and young seeds, 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)
- Mesquite Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa), Screwbean Mesquite (Prosopis pubescens), Velvet Mesquite (Prosopis velutina)
- Plant type: drought-tolerant desert trees
- Native to: southwest and south central USA, northern Mexico
- Parts eaten: pods (ground into flour and cooked)
- Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
- Plant type: tropical tree
- Native to: tropical Africa
- Parts eaten: pulp inside pods (used in desserts, jam, drinks, and snacks)