Leaf
Stefan.lefnaer, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Chickpea
Cicer arietinum L.
Also known as: Garbanzo bean, Garbanzo
Family: Fabaceae
30 to 50 cm tall
Grown as a field crop and in vegetable gardens, free-draining soils, hot dry climate
Flowering: May – July
Full sun
Not very hardy, frost-sensitive, grown as an annual in hot, dry climates
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The botanical name arietinum refers to a ram's head — the chickpea seed, with its characteristic small pointed beak, does indeed resemble the shape of a miniature ram's head.
🍃 Leaves
Compound, pinnate, with small toothed leaflets, somewhat sticky and hairy
🌸 Flowers
Small, white to pale blue, solitary
🍎 Fruits
Small inflated, hairy pod, usually containing a single characteristic round seed
🪵 Bark
Erect, branched herbaceous stem, hairy and sticky
🗺️ Distribution
Native to the Near East; grown in France especially in the south, in a hot climate
🐝 Value for pollinators
Flowers rich in nectar, visited by bees
✂️ Horticultural uses
Legume grown for its seed, one of the oldest crops of the Mediterranean basin, fixes nitrogen and improves soil fertility
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Seed edible when cooked; no known toxicity
🌿 Other Fabaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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