Chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) is a plant species in the Fabaceae family. It is an annual herb that grows in a prostrate to erect habit, reaching heights of up to 100 cm. The plant may have a single stem or branch from the base; it possesses a taproot that can reach depths of 1–2 meters, while secondary roots spread within 15–30 cm of the soil surface.

The leaves are arranged alternately and are imparipinnately compound, consisting of 7–17 leaflets. The stipules are divided into 2–5 segments, ranging in shape from ovate to triangular, measuring 3–5 mm in length and 2–4 mm in width. The rachis is 2.5–8 cm long and features a groove on the upper side. The leaflets are sessile, ovate to elliptical in shape, 5–20 mm long and 2–15 mm wide; their margins are sharply toothed along the upper two-thirds, and both surfaces are covered in glandular hairs.

The inflorescence is reduced to a single flower located in the leaf axil. The peduncle is 20–37 mm long. There are 1–3 bracts, which are linear to triangular in shape and up to 3 mm long. The flowers are bisexual and papilionaceous (pea-like). The pedicel is 3–12 mm long and curves downward as the fruit develops. The calyx is campanulate (bell-shaped), with a 3–4 mm long tube and lanceolate lobes measuring 4–5 mm, each featuring a prominent midrib.

The corolla may be white, bright red, purplish, or blue. The vexillum (standard petal) is obovate, 8–10 mm long and 7–17 mm wide, with a broad claw. The alae (wing petals) are obovate, 6–9 mm long and 4 mm wide, and possess an auricle. The carina (keel petals) is 6–8 mm long and 3 mm wide, with a narrowed base measuring 2–3 mm in length. There are 10 stamens: 9 are fused for a length of 4–5 mm, while 1 remains free; the anthers are attached at their base to their dorsal side. The ovary is superior, sessile, and ovoid, measuring 2–3 mm in length and 1–1.5 mm in width, consisting of a single locule. The style is curved inward and is 3–4 mm long, with a small stigma.

The fruit is a pod—rhomboid-ellipsoid and inflated—measuring 12–35 mm in length and 8–20 mm in width; it is densely covered in glandular hairs and contains 1–4 seeds. The seeds are round to angular-obovoid, 5–14 mm long and 4–10 mm wide, featuring a central groove and a protuberance above the hilum. Their color varies from cream to brown, green, or black, with a surface that may be smooth or wrinkled. Germination is hypogeal, with the first two leaves appearing scale-like.

C. arietinum grows in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate zones. It thrives at elevations ranging from 0 to 2,700 meters, with an annual rainfall of 500–1,800 mm and an average temperature of 10–25°C. It requires well-drained soil—ranging from sandy or sandy-loam to black soil—with a pH of 5–7 or higher.

The seeds can be eaten directly or served alongside cereals in dishes such as sauces and soups. Young shoots are consumed as a vegetable. Broken seeds, straw, and other plant residues are used as livestock feed. Dried stems and roots are frequently used as fuel for cooking. Starch derived from the plant is utilized in textile finishing (for silk, wool, and cotton), the production of plywood, and the preparation of indigo dye.

Per 100 g of the edible portion, raw seeds contain 11.5 g of water, 1525 kJ (364 kcal) of energy, 19.3 g of protein, 6.0 g of fat, 60.7 g of carbohydrates, 17.4 g of dietary fiber, 105 mg of Ca, 115 mg of Mg, 366 mg of P, 6.2 mg of Fe, 3.4 mg of Zn, 67 IU of vitamin A, 0.48 mg of thiamin, 0.21 mg of riboflavin, 1.5 mg of niacin, 0.54 mg of vitamin B6, 557 μg of folate, and 4.0 mg of ascorbic acid.

The essential amino acid composition per 100 g of the edible portion is as follows: tryptophan 185 mg, lysine 1291 mg, methionine 253 mg, phenylalanine 1034 mg, threonine 716 mg, valine 809 mg, leucine 1374 mg, and isoleucine 828 mg.

The primary fatty acids per 100 g of the edible portion are linoleic acid (2593 mg), oleic acid (1346 mg), palmitic acid (501 mg), linolenic acid (101 mg), and stearic acid (85 mg). The antinutritional factors present include trypsin inhibitors, hemagglutinins, tannins, and oligosaccharides.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Cicereae
Genus: Cicer L. in Sp. Pl.: 738 (1753)
Section: Cicer
Species: Cicer arietinum L. in Sp. Pl.: 738 (1753)
Subspecies:
Cicer arietinum subsp. arietinum,
Cicer arietinum subsp. reticulatum (Ladiz.) Moreno & Cubero ex Del Guacchio & P.Caputo

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Vicia arietina (L.) E.H.L.Krause in J.W.Sturm, Deutschl. Fl. Abbild., ed. 2. 9: 16 (1901)

PUBLICATIONS

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VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: حمص شائع
Basque: Garbantzua
Bengali: বুট Boot
Chinese (simplified): 鹰嘴豆
Czech: Cizrna beraní
Dutch: Keker
English: Chickpea, Chick pea, Bengal gram, Gram, Chana, Egyptian pea
Finnish: Kahviherne, Kikherne, Kikkahviherne
French: Pois chiche
German: Kichererbse
Gujarati: Chania
Hebrew: חמצה - תרבותי
Hindi: चना Chana
Hungarian: Termesztett bagolyborsó
Indonesia: Kacang arab, Kacang kuda
Italian: Cece
Japanese: シロヒヨコマメ - 雛豆
Java: Kacang piyik
Kannada: Kadale
Korean: 병아리콩 - 이집트콩
Lithuanian: Nutas
Luxembourgish: Käicher
Manipuri: Chana
Marathi: Harbhara
Polish: Ciecierzyca pospolita
Punjabi: But
Russian: Нут бараний
Sanskrit: Jivana, Chanakah
Sinhala: කඩල
Slovak: Cícer baraní
Spanish: Garbanzo, Garbanzo blanco
Swedish: Kikärt
Tamil: கட்டளை Katalai
Telugu: Harimandhakam, Sanagalu
Thai: ถั่วลูกไก่ - ถั่วหัวช้าง
Turkish: Nohut
Ukrainian: Нут звичайний
Urdu: چنا Chana

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
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