Cicer

Read about Cicer in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Cicer, (old Latin name for the vetch). Leguminosae. Pea-like annual or perennial herbs, with 5-parted calyx, the lobes being nearly equal or the 2 upper ones somewhat shorter and connivent, oblong turgid 2-valved pod, mostly 1-fld. peduncles, odd-pinnate lvs. and toothed lfts.: standard ovate or nearly orbicular, wings obovate and free, keel rather broad and incurved: fls. white, blue or violet: terminal lft. often represented by a tendril or spine.—A dozen or more species, with a Mediterranean-Asian range. C. arietinum, Linn., the Chick-pea or Garbanzo, is sometimes cult. in vegetable-gardens for the edible ripe seeds. It is an annual and is cult. the same as bush beans. It withstands dry weather well. It grows 2 ft. high, making a bushy, hairy plant; seeds are planted as soon as warm weather comes, usually in drills, the plants standing 8-12 in. apart Lvs. with small, roundish lfts.: fls. white or reddish, small, axillary. Seed roundish, but flattened on the sides, with a projection on one side, shaped like a miniature ram's head (hence the name arietinum, in vars. of red, black and white. Much cult. in S. Eu. and Asia; and widely known in Calif. and in Mex., and other Spanish-American regions. The peas are eaten boiled, or roasted like peanuts, often used for soup or as a substitute for coffee; and some kinds are used for horse-feed. It is a promising crop for some purposes; yield sometimes 500 to 1,000 lbs. to the acre. L. H. B. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

? Cicer
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Subfamily: Faboideae Tribe: Cicereae Genus: Cicer
Species
Cicer acanthophyllum Cicer anatolicum Cicer arietinum-chickpea Cicer atlanticum Cicer bijugum Cicer canariense Cicer chorassanicum Cicer cuneatum Cicer echinospermum Cicer fedtschenkoi Cicer flexuosum Cicer graecum Cicer incisum Cicer judaicum Cicer kermanense Cicer macracanthum Cicer microphyllum Cicer mogolatvicum Cicer montbretii Cicer multijugum Cicer oxyodon Cicer pinnatifidum Cicer pungens Cicer rechingeri Cicer reticulatum Cicer songaricum Cicer spiroceras Cicer stapfianum Cicer subaphyllum Cicer tragacanthoides Cicer yamashitae
Ref: ILDIS Version 6.05

Cicer is a genus of the legume family Fabaceae. Its native distribution is across the Middle East and Asia. Its best known and only domesticated member is Cicer arietinum, the species which includes the Chickpea, or Garbanzo bean, and Chana dal.

External links

• Chickpea Taxonomy and Biosystematics