Lentil
Annual legume grown for its lens-shaped edible seeds.
The lentil (Vicia lens or Lens culinaris) is an annual legume grown for its lens-shaped edible seeds or pulses, also called lentils. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. Lentil seeds are used around the world for culinary purposes, most commonly in stews or soups. In cuisines of the Indian subcontinent, where lentils are a staple, split lentils (often with their hulls removed) known as dal are often cooked into a thick curry that is usually eaten with rice or roti.
- height
- 30 to 50 cm (12 to 20 in)
- seed_shape
- lens-shaped
- seed_diameter
- about 0.5 cm (1/4 in)
- pollination
- self-pollinating
- flower_colors
- white, pink, purple, pale purple, or pale blue
- pod_length
- about 1.5 cm (5/8 in)
- seeds_per_pod
- usually two
Lore & Background
The lentil is a diploid, annual, bushy herb of erect, semierect, or spreading and compact growth, normally varying from 30 to 50 centimetres in height. It has many hairy branches and a slender, angular stem. The leaves are alternate, of oblong-linear and obtuse shape, and range from yellowish green to dark bluish green. Upper leaves are converted into tendrils, while lower leaves are mucronate. Flowers, one to four in number, arise from leaf axils on a slender footstalk and are small, white, pink, purple, pale purple, or pale blue. Pods are oblong, slightly inflated, about 1.5 cm long, and normally contain two lens-shaped seeds about 0.5 cm in diameter. Lentils are hypogeal, meaning the cotyledons of the germinating seed stay in the ground and inside the seed coat, making them less vulnerable to frost, wind erosion, or insect attack. Flowering begins from the lowermost buds and moves upward (acropetal flowering), with about two weeks needed for all flowers to open on a single branch. After three to four days, pod setting takes place.
Reader's Guide
The lentil holds significance as a staple food in many cuisines, particularly in the Indian subcontinent where split lentils (dal) are cooked into thick curries eaten with rice or roti. Its English name derives from the Latin lens, which also gave rise to the Roman family name Lentulus and the term for optical lenses, due to the seed's shape. Taxonomically, the cultivated lentil (formerly Lens culinaris) is now considered part of the genus Vicia, with its wild progenitor being Lens orientalis (also classified as Vicia lens subsp. orientalis). The seven related taxa are often referred to as 'taxa' rather than species or subspecies, as their classification is not broadly agreed upon. Lentils are classified for market by seed qualities such as size, shape, seed coat colour and pattern, thickness, and cotyledon colour. Major types include red lentils (with red cotyledon, often hulled), green and brown lentils (with yellow cotyledon), and specialty types such as black Beluga lentils and Puy lentils.
Did You Know?
- The English word 'lentil' derives from the Latin lens, which also gave its name to optical lenses due to their similar shape.
- Lentils are hypogeal, meaning the cotyledons of the germinating seed stay in the ground and inside the seed coat, reducing vulnerability to frost, wind erosion, or insect attack.
- The wild taxa Lens orientalis is considered the progenitor of the cultivated lentil Lens culinaris.
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