The lentil is an edible legume. It is an annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each.
Illustration of the lentil plant, 1885
Lentil plants in the field before flowering
Red and brown comparison
Split red lentils (size 6 mm)
Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption; for livestock forage and silage; and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, soybeans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, grass peas, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.
A selection of dried pulses and fresh legumes
Pulses for sale in a Darjeeling market
Pulses in a Nanglo tray
Freshly dug peanuts (Arachis hypogaea), indehiscent legume fruits