Legumes The legumes (from the Latin legere, “to gather”) are plants in the bean family, the Leguminosae, whose members bear pods that contain several seeds The term legume is also used to name their seeds Many legumes are vines that climb on tall grasses and other plants to reach full sunlight, and like the grasses grow, go to seed, and die over a few months The legumes produce seeds that are especially rich in protein, thanks to their symbiosis with bacteria that live in their roots and feed them with nitrogen from the air The same symbiosis means that legumes actually enrich the soil they grow in with nitrogen compounds, which is why various legumes have been grown as rotation crops at least since Roman times Their relatively large seeds are attractive to animals, and it’s thought that much of the remarkable diversity in the beans and peas is the result of survival pressures exerted by insects Legume seeds are camouflaged by colored coats, and protected with an array of several biochemical defenses Lentils, broad beans, peas, and chick peas are all native to the Fertile Crescent of the Near East They were adapted for sprouting and quickly reproducing in the cool, wet season before the summer drought, and were the first substantial foods to ripen in the spring The soy and mung beans were indigenous to Asia, and peanuts, lima beans, and common beans to the Americas Nuts The nuts (from an Indo-European root meaning “compressed”) come from several different plant families, not just one They are generally large seeds enclosed in hard shells, and borne on long-lived trees The seeds are large both to make them attractive to animal dispersers (which bury some for later use and effectively plant the ones they forget), and to give the seedling an adequate food supply for slow, prolonged growth in the partial shade ... season before the summer drought, and were the first substantial foods to ripen in the spring The soy and mung beans were indigenous to Asia, and peanuts, lima beans, and common beans to the Americas... trees The seeds are large both to make them attractive to animal dispersers (which bury some for later use and effectively plant the ones they forget), and to give the seedling an adequate food supply for...protected with an array of several biochemical defenses Lentils, broad beans, peas, and chick peas are all native to the Fertile Crescent of the Near East They were adapted for sprouting and quickly reproducing in the cool, wet