Lentil (Vicia lens)

Lentil (Vicia lens) is a plant species in the Fabaceae family. It is an annual, hypogeal, diploid herb that grows in a dense, bushy habit—either upright or semi-upright—while remaining compact. It reaches a height of 30–50 cm and features numerous hairy branches, with slender, angular stems.

The rachis supports 10–15 leaflets, arranged in 5–8 pairs. The leaflets are alternate, oblong-linear in shape, and have blunt tips; their color ranges from yellowish-green to a dark, bluish-green. The upper leaflets are modified into tendrils, while the lower leaflets are mucronate (tipped with a small point). If stipules are present, they are typically small.

The flowers—appearing in clusters of 1–4—are small and range in color from white or bright red to purple, pale purple, or pale blue. They emerge from the leaf axils on slender stalks. The pods are oblong and slightly inflated, measuring 1.5 cm in length. Each pod typically contains two lens-shaped seeds, each about 5 mm in diameter. The seeds often feature a pattern of spots or blotches.

V. lens is a self-pollinating plant. Flowering occurs acropetally (from the base toward the tip); it takes about two weeks for all the flowers on a single branch to bloom. By the end of the second or third day after blooming, the flowers close completely, and their color fades. Three to four days later, pod formation begins.

This species thrives in soils ranging from sandy to sandy-loam with a pH of 7; it cannot tolerate waterlogging or water-saturated soil. The seeds can be consumed after being soaked, sprouted, fried, roasted, or boiled.

Boiled lentil seeds consist of 70% water, 20% carbohydrates, 9% protein, and 0.4% fat. Boiled seeds (per 100 g) contain 114 calories (20% or more of the DV), folate (45% DV), copper (28% DV), and manganese (21% DV). The seeds are also a moderate source (10–19% DV) of thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, iron, and phosphorus, along with other minerals.

TAXON

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Fabeae
Genus: Vicia L. in Sp. Pl.: 734 (1753)
Section: Lens
Species: Vicia lens (L.) Coss. & Germ. in Fl. Descr. Anal. Paris: 143 (1845)
Subspecies:
Vicia lens subsp. lamottei (Czefr.) H.Schaef., Coulot & Rabaute
Vicia lens subsp. lens

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cicer lens (L.) Willd. in Sp. Pl., ed. 4. 3: 1114 (1802)
Ervum lens L. in Sp. Pl.: 738 (1753)
Lathyrus lens (L.) Bernh. in Syst. Verz. Erf.: 247 (1800)
Lens culinaris Medik. in Vorles. Churpfälz. Phys.-Ökon. Ges. 2: 361 (1787)
Lens culinaris subsp. esculenta Briq. in Prodr. Fl. Corse 2(1): 392 (1913)
Lens esculenta Moench in Methodus: 131 (1794)
Lens lens (L.) Huth in Helios 11: 134 (1893)
Lentilla lens (L.) W.Wight in Bull. Bur. Pl. Industr. U.S.D.A. 261: 39 (1912)
Orobus lens (L.) Stokes in Bot. Mat. Med. 4: 37 (1812)

PUBLICATIONS

(2019). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/fedr.201800019. epublication.

Dar, G.H. & Govaerts, R.H.A. (2025). Flora of Kashmir Himalaya: Sind Valley 1: 1-606. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun, India.

Hassler, M. & Muer, T. (2022). Flora Germanica: alle Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Deutschlands in Text und Bild 1: 1-864. Verlag Regionalkultur, Uberstadt-Weiher.

Stace, C. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles ed. 4: 1-1266. C & M Floristics.

VERNACULAR NAME

Arabic: عدس
Chinese (simplified): 兵豆
Chinese (traditional): 小扁豆
Czech: Čočka kuchyňská
Dutch: Linze
English: Lentil
Finnish: Linssi
French: Lentille, Lentille alimentaire, Lentille cultivée
German: Kultur-Linse
Hebrew: עדשה תרבותית
Hungarian: Főzeléklencse
Indonesia: Lentil
Italian: Lenticchia
Japanese: ヒラマメ
Java: Lentil
Polish: Soczewica jadalna
Russian: Чечевица пищевая
Sinhala: පරිප්පු
Slovak: Šošovica kuchynská
Spanish: Lenteja
Swedish: Lins, Linser
Turkish: Mercimek
Ukrainian: сочевиця

Aryo Bandoro
Dlium TheDlium
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dlium