characteristics of leguminous plants. Flowering plants. genus of plants in the legume family

Legumes are very useful for humans, as they are rich in fiber, contain vitamin A and B vitamins, iron, calcium, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and starch. Legumes contain even more protein than meat products, so they can replace meat for vegetarians.

The root system of legumes is roots with nodules on them, formed when nitrogen-fixing bacteria enter. They fix nitrogen, with the help of which the plant and soil receive nutrition.

And now a little interesting facts about beans:

• Because beans contain folic acid and potassium, they are able to have a cleansing effect for the blood and for the body as a whole
• The content of vitamin B reduces the likelihood of heart disease, improves digestion. What is important for girls, the presence of this vitamin in the diet improves the condition of the hair: they acquire a more lush and strong structure.
• According to nutritionists, eating 150 g of legumes every day will lower blood cholesterol levels.
• Legumes are considered to be native to Mediterranean countries from where they subsequently spread throughout the world.

The most common legumes include:

• Lupine

A fairly popular product of legume origin, high in fat and protein, which has vegetable origin. That is why soy is included in many animal feeds. Also used as a substitute for animal products.

As already mentioned, soy contains proteins that are slightly inferior to the same proteins of animal origin, so it is often eaten by vegetarians who need to make up for the lack of proteins that have failed to enter the body due to the rejection of meat food.

Common annual plant, which is found almost everywhere. It is often a weed that grows along roadsides and where there is a lot of garbage. Since it is able to grow in the most unexpected places, it is not picky about the soil, it is resistant to frost.

Flowers are usually solitary, purple or pink shade, rarely white. The beans are light yellow in color, wide.

Everyone knows this species bean culture. This is a real storehouse of various vitamins, such as B1, B2, B3, B6, C, E, K and PP. O useful properties these vitamins can be read on the relevant Internet resources.

The beans, which can vary in size and color, are arranged in pods 6-20 cm long.

Lentils are considered one of the oldest cultivated plants.

The most common are red and brown lentils. After heat treatment, brown lentils acquire an unobtrusive nutty smell. And red lentils have found application in Asian cuisine.

As given culture does not contain fat, it can be eaten by people suffering from overweight. The advantage is that thanks to the carbohydrates contained in lentils, it gives a feeling of satiety for a long period of time.

It's perennial herbaceous plant, whose height varies from 30 to 70 cm. It has eye-catching bright pink-purple flowers collected in a brush. The fruit is a bean.

From this plant, light amber-colored honey is harvested, distinguished by its aroma and taste.

For our country, the cultivation of this type of legume is not typical. Mostly chickpeas are grown in Turkey, North America, Mexico.

It has a characteristic nutty flavor. It can be boiled or fried, served as a side dish, added to pilaf.

Chickpeas are small beans that have a brownish-green color and resemble an owl's or ram's head in shape. In comparison with the same peas, it has a larger size.

Since it belongs to a legume, the pea fruit is a bean that can have different shape and color, depending on the variety.

It has a light green to dark green hollow stem with clinging tendrils. Contains only 55 kcal per 100 g of product, therefore it is considered dietary product. However, in dried form, the number of calories increases dramatically, so in this form, peas are not recommended in large quantities for people suffering from obesity.

Lupine

Also called "wolf beans". Differs in endurance and ability to absorb substances which will subsequently enrich the soil.

The leaves of the plant are collected in 5-6 pieces in a rosette; white, red or purple flowers form long brushes (up to 1 m). In height, lupine can reach 1.5 m. The inflorescences look like beans.

A well-known plant belonging to the legume family. Blooms from late spring to early autumn. Grows mainly in meadows, in forests in glades. Found everywhere.

It has trifoliate bright green leaves. When flowering, it forms bright pink, less often dark red, spherical heads.

This annual plant, capable of reaching a height of 180 cm, has round white flowers with dark spots on the wings, collected in inflorescences.

The fruit is a bean. One plant can develop 10-20 fruits, and in some cases even more.

plus broad beans is a powerful attachment of the lower fruits, as this allows harvesting with combines and other agricultural machines.

It bears the name - peanut, distinctive feature which is the development of fruits in the earth.

Above-ground flowers are yellow-orange, arranged once or 2-3 in the axils of the leaves. Underground flowers are small and colorless.

Beans cocoon-shaped with a fragile red or dark / light brown shell. Seeds are dark red or light pink, oblong-oval or rounded.

General information about legumes

Legumes (lat. Fabaceae & Leguminosae, by fruits), or Moths (Papillionaceae, by flowers) is the name of a very extensive family of plants from the dicotyledonous class. The flowers of all representatives are irregular, they consist of five unequal petals, with 10 stamens, and the fruits have a characteristic structure that has earned a special botanical term "bean". A common feature of the whole family is that the flowers always have a single-membered ovary - whole, not divided into lobes, single-celled, and the fruit of all is bivalve, single-celled, multi-seeded (single-seeded in Trifolium clover), bursting along two seams of valves, to which they are attached seeds, even in intervals of odd.

This huge family, numbering up to 6600 species and more than 200 genera, is distributed throughout the globe and has its representatives in all latitudes, from the Far North and alpine meadows to the equator. Herbaceous and woody forms are almost equally abundant in this family, which, in its largest outline, is divided into the following three subfamilies: mimosas, caesalpinias, and legumes, in fact, constituting the vast majority of the whole family. Mimosa and caesalpinia are inhabitants of an exceptionally warm climate, while all other climatic zones of the globe actually remain on the share of legumes.

Botanical description. Legumes have irregular bisymmetrical flowers from a 5-lobed persistent calyx, 5-petaled corolla, 10 stamens and pistil; the petals of a fully bloomed flower are similar to the figure of a flying moth, from which the very name of the flowers and the whole family came from ( best examples- peas and sweet pea). On the other hand, the same flower is likened to a boat; the largest unpaired petal is called a sail (vexillum), followed by a pair of identical and narrower petals, symmetrically arranged, these are wings (alae), or oars; finally, two more equal petals grew together along their lower edge, forming a very distinct boat (carina); in this boat lie the pistil and stamens, of which in most species one is completely free, and 9 have grown together with their threads (up to various heights in different genera and species) into one common plate, fitting the pistil. The leaves of legumes are predominantly complex and most often pinnate or pinnate (clover, lupine), from one to 20 or more pairs of leaflets; stipules are very characteristic of this family, which are characteristic of most species and sometimes exceed the size of the leaves themselves (in peas and many others); antennae are also very frequent, both simple and branched, ending with petioles complex leaves. Of the huge number of genera belonging to this subfamily, it is enough to point out to everyone known for their uses: Peanuts (Arachis), Astragalus (Astragalus), Beans (Faba), Vetch (Vicia), Peas (Pisum), Sweet clover (Melilotus), Caragana ( Caragana), Clover (Trifolium), Lupine (Lupinus), Alfalfa (Medicago), Soybean (Glycine), Beans (Phaseolus), Lentils (Lens) and many others. Legumes are one of the richest families in terms of the abundance of representatives useful to humans.
Caesalpiniae (Caesalpinicae) with a few genera are significantly less irregular in colors; the two petals of the "boat" no longer grow together, so that the boat itself does not exist; the stamens are also all free; the fruit is a bean that opens only along one seam, and not two, as in the previous subfamily, or does not open at all; there are also forms without petals, such as the famous "sweet horns", Ceratonia Siliqua, in which there are only 5 stamens; besides this genus, which does not grow wild in Russia, our Crimean shrub, even a tree, is a good representative of the Caesalpiniaceae. Judas tree", or "Jewish Crimson" (Cercis siliquastrum), in Tatar "Muse-agach", blooming early spring, to leaves, large bright pink flowers; its leaves are completely whole, round. Other more well-known genera include Caesalpinia, Gleditschia, Cassia, Bauhinia, Tamarind (Tamarindus) and Carob (Ceratonis).
Mimosa (Mimoseae), with an even smaller number of genera, natives, as already mentioned, of the warm belt. Flowers are generally small, collected in dense inflorescences - heads, less often brushes, and almost regular; this subfamily can be called legumes with correct colors; the number of flower parts ranges from 4 to 6, although five more often; stamens from 4 to indefinite number; the leaves of most are doubly pinnate with small lobes. There are no special differences in the device of the fruits. Good examples are the shy mimosa (Mimosa pudica), which folds its leaves and lowers the petioles of the leaves at the slightest irritation, real acacia (Acacia Julibrissin), Catehu acacia (Acacia Catehu), Sandalwood pterocarpus (Santali Lignum), and a shrub growing in the Caucasus - "Tulle -ebrishim", i.e. Silk tree.

Healing properties and application. Galega officinalis or goat's rue. AT traditional medicine used to increase milk secretion in nursing mothers and as a remedy for diabetes. Also considered a diuretic.
Dipteryx fragrant. Active ingredients: coumarin and its derivatives, fatty oil, starch, gums, essential oil, sitosterol and a number of other substances. It is used to improve the smell of smoking, as well as medical and snuff tobacco.
Dyeing gorse. This is medicinal plant used in folk medicine as a tonic after a serious illness, as a blood purifier and to remove stones and sand from the bladder. In addition, dyer is also recommended for constipation, rheumatic and gouty pains, against delays in menstruation and for minor complaints from the heart.
Zharnovets panicled. First of all, Zharnovets acts on the conduction system of the heart; pathologically accelerated formation of impulses, hyperexcitability conducting system are reduced. The patient's condition improves with atrial and ventricular flutter, as well as with extrasystole. They can treat cardiac arrhythmias various origins. The big advantage of this medicinal plant is its good tolerance even with prolonged use, when a long course of treatment is needed. But only a doctor can prescribe Zharnovets, and it should be taken only under the supervision of a doctor.
Cabbage tree. Chrysarobin, isolated from the resin of the cabbage tree, is a skin cleanser; it is now used in the form of solutions and ointments for skin diseases (for example, for psoriasis).
Cinema Malabar. The raw material of cinema contains tannins, it is used as a gastric fixative. It is part of the dental elixirs that relieve inflammation of the oral mucosa.
Kopay tree. Copay balm is used to disinfect the bronchi.
Muira Puama. Pharmaceutical raw materials Muira-Puama - Muira-Puama lignum is used as a sexual aphrodisiac for men and women.
Piscidia tree. Sometimes used as component soothing and sleeping pills. In America, it is used as a sleeping pill.
Licorice naked. In folk medicine for coughs and other colds licorice root powder mixed with honey is often used: 1/2 teaspoon of the powder is mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey, taken 3 times a day. For stomach ulcers and other gastric diseases, it is recommended to chew small pieces of the root. It also helps in relieving hangovers. Applications: to facilitate expectoration in catarrhs ​​of the upper respiratory tract (bronchitis), for the treatment of spastic phenomena in inflammation of the gastric mucosa ( chronic gastritis).
The steel is prickly. Modern folk medicine uses this medicinal plant to combat fluid retention, to stimulate metabolism with stones in the bladder and kidneys, with articular rheumatism and gout, with skin rashes and weeping eczema.
Beans. Bean leaf tea is used in home medicine since ancient times as a diuretic for urinary retention and edema, for urolithiasis, as well as for inflammation of the kidneys, bladder diseases, rheumatism, sciatica and gout. Naturally, traditional medicine tries to use beans along with blueberry leaves for diabetes.
Physostigma poisonous or Calabar bush. how medicine used only in veterinary medicine for colic. in the form of salt salicylic acid used to lower intraocular pressure in glaucoma. Serves as a raw material for the production of the poisonous alkaloid physostigmine.
Healing ulcer. Ulcer has remained one of the favorite home remedies in many places. Together with psyllium, it is used to make a tea that is used to treat wounds and coughs. Plantain contains substances with antibacterial action and this mixture gives good result in the treatment of wounds.
Also, bean leaves are used to cleanse the skin and as a remedy for eczema. Also in folk medicine, another legume is used - clover. It is used against many diseases, but mainly in countryside, most likely because there is an unlimited number of it. It makes delicious tea. Clover tea sweetened with honey (not sweet for diabetics) is good for coughs and liver diseases. It is also considered an excellent blood purifier.

All adults and even children know beans and peas, beans and lentils, fragrant acacias and clover, peanuts and mimosa, and meanwhile, all these are plants of the legume (or moth) family. An extensive group, it is difficult to overestimate the benefits of which for a person. We eat these plants, we plant them for beauty, we improve the soil with them, we use wood, we dye our clothes, and we even heal ourselves.

Legume family: general characteristics

The family familiar to everyone since school unites great amount species, according to approximate estimates, about 17-18 thousand. Botanists divide it into three subfamilies (based on the structure of the flower): caesalpinia, mimosa, moth. It is interesting to note that leguminous plants include the genus Astragalus, the largest in terms of the number of species among representatives of flowering plants (about 2400). Plants of this family have a fairly large habitat both in the hot tropics (mainly caesalpine and mimosa), and in the Far North, in deserts and savannahs.

Nitrogen fixation is distinguishing feature the whole family. Roots leguminous plants have nodules, which are formed as a result of the growth of parenchymal tissue. And this, in turn, is explained by the introduction and settlement inside the plant of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, belonging to the genus Rhizobium. They have an amazing ability to absorb and accumulate atmospheric nitrogen, which is later used by the plant itself for its growth. Such large reserves are vital important element have a good effect on the environment. Legumes are great for improving soil fertility. It is widely used in industrial scale, and competent and knowledgeable gardeners who do not forget to alternate planting different cultures in your area. Every year, they return about 100-140 kilograms of nitrogen back to the soil per hectare.

The structure of the leaves of leguminous plants

Legumes may have different shape leaves. They can be conditionally divided into several groups:

• paired pinnate and doubly pinnate (pea, yellow acacia) leaves, they are located on both sides of the stem;
• simplified (reduced to one apical leaf);
• falsely simple, formed as a result of the fusion of two apical leaves;
• phyllodes (in African species of acacias) are flattened leaf petioles.

Legumes are characterized amazing property- paired leaves can fold at night. This is due to the fact that there are thickenings at the base of the petioles, which, due to a change in turgor, lead to leaf blade or just the leaves in motion. For example, shy mimosa is able to do this instantly, since even a light touch of its leaves causes an instant loss of osmotic pressure in them. This property was noticed a very long time ago and was the reason for naming the plant so.

flower and inflorescence

Leguminous plants can have various inflorescences, but most often it is a panicle or brush, sometimes capitate brushes (clover), much less often they are reduced to one flower. Representatives of the family are characterized by cross-pollination, in which pollen from one flower is transferred to another much less often by insects (bees, bumblebees) or bats and birds in tropical species.

The flowers of leguminous plants can be zygomorphic or actinomorphic (for example, mimosas). The calyx usually consists of four, less often of five sepals, which grow together. There are 5 petals (for all moths and some representatives of two other subfamilies) or 4. Their name and division are very interesting, depending on the function performed. So, the topmost and largest was called the "flag", it attracts insects that pollinate the plant. The petals located on the sides are commonly called wings, and this is a kind of "landing area". The innermost, as a rule, grow together along the lower edge and form a boat that protects the stamens and pistil from insects that are not pollinators. But, for example, in mimosa, all petals are of the same shape - free or fused.

The fruits of leguminous plants

In this case, there is an absolute unity of all species of the family. The fruit is called a bean (single- or multi-seeded), opening along the dorsal or ventral suture. Seeds inside the fruit are quite large, with or without endosperm, cotyledons are well developed. Appearance the bean can be absolutely any, as well as the size. In some species, its length reaches one and a half meters. Seed dispersal sometimes occurs on its own, when the valves of the fruit, when opened, twist in a spiral, and they scatter into different sides such as acacia. Some tropical species are dispersed by animals or birds. The ovary of the familiar peanut (peanut) due to negative geotropism, that is, the ability to grow and develop in a certain direction, when formed, goes into the soil by 8-10 cm, where the fruit then develops.

The value of legumes in the economy

In terms of practical importance for humans, plants of the legume family are second only to cereals. Among them are a huge number of food crops of world importance: soybeans, peas, beans, peanuts, chickpeas, lentils and many others. Some of them have been cultivated by people for more than a millennium.

Leguminous plants are of great importance as forage grasses, this category includes: clover, alfalfa, lupine, sainfoin, etc. Some tropical members of the family (for example, logwood, pericopsis, dalbergia) are a source of valuable and highly decorative wood, painted in pink, almost red, dark brown or almost black.

Decorative and medicinal value

There are also decorative types among legumes, such as wisteria. This is tree view originally from China with large carpal fragrant inflorescences. A very popular garden and park plant. Another representative is the whitened acacia, which is widespread on the Black Sea coast. From herbaceous gardens, for example, sweet peas, lupins are grown. Everyone knows the indigo color, but few people know that the dye of the same name is obtained from the indigo dye plant, a small shrub from the legume family.

Some species have long been used in medicine: fenugreek, astragalus, sweet clover, etc. Everyone is familiar with licorice, or naked licorice. It is an herbaceous legume that is widely used worldwide as a cough medicine ( healing properties known since the time ancient egypt). Its roots and rhizomes are used for this. In some European countries liquorice candies are very popular and are loved even by children. They have a characteristic black glossy color.

Legumes are known all over the world. They are mostly cultivated for food. They contain more vegetable protein and trace elements necessary for a person.

general characteristics

Legumes are a huge family belonging to dicot plants. The legume family has more than 18,000 varieties, which are many various genera. Leguminous plants can be represented by trees, shrubs, vines, perennials and annuals.

The legume family is divided into three main subgroups, these are such subgroups as: Cesalpinia, Mimosa, Legume, or as it is also called - Moth. The differences between these subgroups are only in the structure of the inflorescence, otherwise their description is very similar.

All types of legumes have a fairly similar external structure, but, nevertheless, there are still some differences in all plants. It is for them that each leguminous plant can be attributed to a particular species.

The main difference between plants is the peculiar structure of the fruit, which is called a bean or pod. The pod is a single-celled fruit with two symmetrical valves. It contains seeds that are tightly attached to the valves.

The legume plant is most often multi-seeded, but there are also single-seeded varieties. Beans can be of various sizes and shapes.

The leguminous plant is distinguished by flowers of an irregular, asymmetric shape. They are collected in cone-shaped or apical inflorescences. Flowers in one inflorescence can be different amount. If there is only one flower, then, as a rule, it is different. big size. If more than one, then the inflorescence is collected by many small flowers. The leaves are arranged alternately, usually they are complex. Quite rarely there are representatives with simple leaves.

The plant of the legume family is distinguished by the specific construction of the rhizome. On the root system are colonies of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which form small nodules, penetrating into the cells of the rhizome.

In the course of their life, nitrogen-fixing bacteria synthesize nitrogen from the atmosphere and transform it into an accessible form. Due to this property, legumes are green manure, saturating the soil with useful trace elements and preventing the active reproduction of weeds. Some legumes can release up to 100-150 kg of nitrogen per year, for example, these are fodder beans.

Description of species

As mentioned earlier, the Motylkov family has a huge number of varieties, but the most common are the following types:

• fruit;
• Feed;
• Decorative.

It is worth talking about each of them in more detail. Representatives that are classified as fruit:

• Chickpeas;
• Lentils;
• Peanut;
• Beans;
• Soy.

Let's consider in more detail:

fodder beans

Broad beans are an annual or biennial grass, which is used in organic farming as green manure.

Broad beans are represented by such representatives:

• Red clover;
• Alfalfa sowing.

Clover is a herbaceous plant in the legume family. Clover stems in height can reach from 5 to 50 cm. Inflorescences can be different shades, but the most common purple flowers. It is very often used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory and expectorant.

Clover is also used as green fodder, silage is made from it. In addition, essential oil and vitamin concentrates are made from clover leaves.

Alfalfa is another plant in the legume family. Alfalfa in wild nature can grow in fields, meadows and grassy slopes. It, like clover, is used as green fodder for livestock. Stems pubescent or glabrous, strongly branched at the apex. In length, the stems can reach 80 cm. The inflorescences are purple or rich yellow.

Decorative

These plants include:

• Acacia.

Lupine is an ornamental herbaceous annual or perennial. Lupine can also be presented as a shrub or semi-shrub. Lupine is popular not only as a decoration flower flower beds but also as a raw material for the production of oils. Vegetable oil obtained from lupine in its properties is similar to olive.

In addition, lupine is used as green fodder. The rhizome of the lupine is powerful, it can reach 1-2 meters in length. Inflorescences are represented by long tassels, which consist of many flowers. The shade of flowers can be different - pink, lilac, purple or red.

Silver Acacia is a tree native to the southeast coast of Australia and Tasmania.

In the people, silver acacia is also called mimosa. The crown of the acacia is sprawling, the tree trunk can reach a height of 10-12 meters.

The young stems of the tree are olive green. Acacia flowers are copper-yellow, round, fluffy, have pleasant aroma. Inflorescence formed large quantity flowers.

The list of legumes can be continued for a very long time. This is one of the most common families in the world. Legumes can grow in a variety of climates and natural conditions and by the number of distribution can be second only to cereals.

>>The legume family

§ 68 Legume family

The legume family is one of the largest families. It has over 12,000 species. Among legumes, annuals and perennial herbs, bushes and trees.

From cultivated field and vegetable legumes plants in our country, peas, beans, soybeans, beans, lupins are grown. Ornamental leguminous plants are widespread: yellow caragana (acacia), white robinia (acacia), wisteria and sweet peas. Many plants of this family grow in meadows, bushes and groves (species of clover, sweet clover, chin). Outwardly, they have little or no similarity 140 .

On what grounds are legume species combined into one family?

In legumes, the fruit is a bean; perianth double; calyx of 5 fused sepals; corolla of 5 petals; 2 of them grow together. The petals have special names: the upper one, usually the largest, is the garus, the side petals are the oars, the 2 fused lower ones are the boat 141 . Inside the boat is a pistil surrounded by 10 stamens. In most plants, the filaments of 9 stamens grow together, and 1 remains free. In some legumes, all stamens are fused with filaments or all stamens are free.

Nodules form on the roots of leguminous plants. These nodules arise because from the soil through root hairs in cells roots of leguminous plants are penetrated by bacteria. They absorb and assimilate free nitrogen from the air. They cause division and increase in the size of root cells, resulting in the appearance of nodules. Such a beneficial cohabitation for both organisms is called symbiosis (from Greek word"symbiosis" - living together). After the plant dies, the soil is enriched with substances containing nitrogen. All organs of legumes are rich in nitrogen-containing substances, in particular proteins.

Leaves and inflorescences of leguminous plants are different in different types. At the clover leaves trifoliate, in soybeans, beans, peas, yellow and white acacia, vetch - pinnate, in lupine - palmate.

Of the inflorescences for legumes, a brush (lupine, sweet clover) and a head (clover) are characteristic.

1. What cultivated plants How are they classified in the legume family?
2. What is the economic value of food and fodder leguminous plants?

Korchagina V.A., Biology: Plants, bacteria, fungi, lichens: Proc. for 6 cells. avg. school - 24th ed. - M.: Enlightenment, 2003. - 256 p.: ill.

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