Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan)

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) is a plant species in the Fabaceae family. It is an annual shrub or bush that can reach a height of 4 meters, with roots extending to a depth of 2 meters. The stem is erect and grooved, reaching up to 15 cm in diameter, with numerous slender branches.

The leaves are arranged alternately and are trifoliolate. The stipules are linear, measuring 2–4 mm in length. The petiole is 1.5–6 cm long and grooved on the upper side. The rachis is 0.5–3 cm long and slightly winged. The stipels are filiform and 1–4 mm long. The petiolules (stalks of the leaflets) are 1–4 mm long. The leaflets are elliptical to lanceolate, 2.5–13.5 cm long and 1–5.5 cm wide, with pointed tips; their surfaces are covered with small yellow glands, appearing green on the upper side and a silvery, grayish-green on the underside.

The inflorescence consists of axillary pseudoracemes, 3.5–12 cm in length, with a peduncle up to 8 cm long. The bracts are ovate, 8 mm long and 5 mm wide, with pointed tips, and are caducous (easily shed). The flowers are bisexual and papilionaceous (pea-like). The pedicels are 0.5–1.5 cm long. The calyx is bell-shaped, covered in fine yellowish hairs and glands; the calyx tube is 4–5 mm long, with lobes measuring 3–5 mm.

The corolla is yellow or cream-colored. The standard (uppermost petal) is nearly circular, 12–22 mm in diameter, with a reddish-yellow, orange, or purple-tinged back. The wing petals are obovate, 15–20 mm long and 6–7 mm wide, yellow in color, and possess short stalks.

The keel (the two fused lower petals) is 14–17 mm long and 5–7 mm wide, yellowish-green in color, and also has a short stalk. There are 10 stamens, with 9 fused together and 1 remaining free. The ovary is superior, unilocular, and sessile, with a curved style.

The fruit is a straight or sickle-shaped pod, 10–13 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide; it is pubescent, glandular-punctate, and splits into two spirally twisting valves. The pod is septate between the seeds and contains 2–9 seeds. The seeds range in shape from round to ellipsoid or somewhat square, measuring 4–9 mm × 3–8 mm × 3–6 mm; they may be white, cream, brown, or purplish to nearly black, and can be plain or patterned. Germination is hypogeal, and the first leaf is simple.

Seeds germinate optimally at temperatures of 19–43°C (with the fastest rate occurring between 20–30°C), in areas with 600–1000 mm of rainfall, and at elevations of up to 2000 meters. The plant can grow in various soil types, provided there is good drainage and a pH of 5–7. Vegetative development is initially slow, but after 2–3 months, growth accelerates. Flowering begins between 56 and 210 days, and the seeds reach maturity in 95–260 days.

Dried beans are frequently used to prepare sauces served alongside staple foods such as cassava, sweet potatoes, and rice. Mature seeds can be fried, boiled, or processed into a porridge. Immature pods are used as a vegetable in soups and sauces, while green seeds are often preserved by canning or freezing. The seeds can also serve as a substitute for soybeans in the production of tempeh or tofu.

The vegetative parts of the plant are used as livestock fodder. C. cajan is also valuable as a hedge, a windbreak in dryland areas, a component in agroforestry systems, a shade tree, a ground cover, and a support plant for vanilla vines. The plant has nitrogen-fixing capabilities, and its fallen leaves provide mulch. It also serves as a host for silkworms. The stems and branches are used to make baskets, roofing materials, fences, and firewood, or as supports for root crops.

The leaves are used to treat diarrhea, gonorrhea, measles, burns, eye infections, earaches, sore throats, gum problems, toothaches, anemia, intestinal worms, dizziness, and epilepsy. The roots are used to address coughs, gastric disorders, and syphilis, and for cleaning teeth. Ash derived from the stems can be applied to wounds, while the stems and roots can be chewed to alleviate toothaches. The seeds can be ground into a powder and used as a compress to reduce swelling.

Per 100 g of the edible portion, mature seeds contain 10.6 g of water, 1435 kJ (343 kcal) of energy, 21.7 g of protein, 1.5 g of fat, 62.8 g of carbohydrates, 15.0 g of dietary fiber, 130 mg of Ca, 183 mg of Mg, 367 mg of P, 5.2 mg of Fe, 2.8 mg of Zn, 28 IU of vitamin A, 0.64 mg of thiamin, 0.19 mg of riboflavin, 3.0 mg of niacin, 0.28 mg of vitamin B6, 456 μg of folate, and 0 mg of ascorbic acid. The essential amino acid composition per 100 g of the edible portion includes 212 mg of tryptophan, 1521 mg of lysine, 243 mg of methionine, 1858 mg of phenylalanine, 767 mg of threonine, 937 mg of valine, 1549 mg of leucine, and 785 mg of isoleucine. The primary fatty acids per 100 g of the edible portion are linoleic acid (778 mg) and palmitic acid (307 mg). Methionine is the limiting amino acid, followed by tryptophan and threonine. Antinutritional factors present in the seeds include trypsin inhibitor activity, tannins, and phytates.

Per 100 g of the edible portion, raw seeds contain 65.9 g of water, 569 kJ (136 kcal) of energy, 7.2 g of protein, 1.6 g of fat, 23.9 g of carbohydrates, 5.1 g of dietary fiber, 42 mg of Ca, 68 mg of Mg, 127 mg of P, 1.6 mg of Fe, 1.0 mg of Zn, 67 IU of vitamin A, 0.40 mg of thiamin, 0.17 mg of riboflavin, 2.2 mg of niacin, 173 μg of folate, and 39 mg of ascorbic acid. The leaves contain 15–24% crude protein. Seed extracts exhibit an antisickling effect (preventing the sickling of red blood cells). This activity is attributed to the presence of phenylalanine and hydroxybenzoic acid; other related compounds demonstrate an even more pronounced effect.

TAXON

Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Tracheophyta
Subphylum Angiospermae
Class Magnoliopsida
Order Fabales
Family Fabaceae
Subfamily Faboideae
Tribe Phaseoleae
Subtribe Cajaninae
Genus Cajanus Adans. in Fam. Pl. 2: 326, 529 (1763)
Cajanus cajan (L.) Huth in Helios 11: 133 (1893)

HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cajanus cajan var. flavus (DC.) Purseglove in Trop. Crops, Dicot. 1: 237 (1968)
Cajanus flavus DC. in Cat. Pl. Horti Monsp.: 85 (1813)
Cajanus indicus Spreng. in Syst. Veg., ed. 16. 3: 248 (1826)
Cajanus indicus var. flavus Kuntze in Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 167 (1891)
Cajanus inodorus Medik. in Vorles. Churpfälz. Phys.-Ökon. Ges. 2: 363 (1787)
Cytisus cajan L. in Sp. Pl.: 739 (1753)

HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS

Cajanum thora Raf. in Sylva Tellur.: 25 (1838)
Cajanus bicolor DC. (1813)
Cajanus cajan f. bicolor (DC.) Baker f. in Legum. Trop. Africa: 460 (1929)
Cajanus cajan var. bicolor (DC.) Purseglove (1968)
Cajanus indicus var. bicolor (DC.) Kuntze (1891)
Cajanus indicus var. maculatus Kuntze (1891)
Cajanus luteus Bello in Anales Soc. Esp. Hist. Nat. 10: 260 (1881)
Cajanus obcordifolia D.N.Singh in Indian J. Agric. Sci. 12: 783 (1942)
Cajanus pseudocajan (Jacq.) Schinz & Guillaumin in C.F.Sarasin & J.Roux, Nova Caledonia, Bot. 1: 159 (1920)
Cajanus striatus Bojer in Hortus Maurit.: 109 (1837)
Cytisus guineensis Schumach. & Thonn. in C.F.Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl.: 349 (1827)
Cytisus mollis Salisb. in Prodr. Stirp. Chap. Allerton: 330 (1796)
Cytisus pseudocajan Jacq. in Hort. Bot. Vindob. 2: 54 (1773)

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VERNACULAR NAME

Afrikaans: Duiwe-ertjie, Kongoboontjie
Assamese: Arahar, Mirai-maha
Bali: Kekace, Undis
Batak Karo: Ritik lias
Bengali: অড়হর Arahar
Bugis: Kance
Bunun: Halidang
Chinese (simplified): 木豆
Chinese (traditional): 埔姜豆 - 木豆 - 柳豆 - 樹豆 - 白樹豆 - 米豆
Czech: Kajan indický
Danish: Ærtebønne
English: Pigeon pea, Gude, Cajan, Catjan pea, Congo pea, Dhal bean, Gungo pea, No-eye pea, Pigeon pea, Red gram
Filipino: Tabios, Kardis, Kidis
Finnish: Kirjokyyhkynherne
French: Ambrevade, Pois d'Angole
German: Straucherbse
Guangdong: 埔姜豆 - 木豆 - 柳豆 - 白樹豆
Gujarati: Tuver
Halmahera: Kacang iris, Kacang turis, Lebui, Legui, Puwe jai
Hindi: अरहर - तुअर Arhar, Tuvar
Hong Kong: 埔姜豆 - 木豆 - 柳豆 - 白樹豆
Indonesian: Gude, Kacang gude, Kacang kayu, Kacang bali
Japanese: キマメ
Java: Gude, Kacang kayu, Kacang gude
Kannada: Togari bele, Togari kalu, Togari, Tovari
Khmer: Sândaèk dai, Sândaèk kroëb sâ, Sândaèk klöng
Konkani: Tori
Lao: ທວາດ ຮ'ê Thwàx h'ê
Macao: 埔姜豆 - 木豆 - 柳豆 - 白樹豆
Madura: Guḍi, Kacang kaju
Makassar: Binatung
Malagasy: Amberivatry, Antsotry
Malayalam: Adhaki, Tuvara
Malaysia: Kacang dal, Kacang hiris
Maluku Barat Daya: Kacang-kayu
Manipuri: Mairongbi
Marathi: Tur
Melayu: Kacang bali
Mizo: Be-hliang
Nepali: रहर Rahar
New Caledonia: Ambrevade
Oriya: Har-har, Kakshi, Tubara
Polish: Nikla indyjska
Portuguese: Feijão-guandu, Guandu
Rote: Turis
Russian: Каянус индийский
Sanskrit: Adhaki, Kakshi, Tuvari
Santali: Bare
Sasak: Lebui
Selayar: Bito'
Sinhala: තෝර පරිප්පු
Slovak: Kajan obyčajný
Spanish: Arvejón de mata, Frijol de palo, Gandul, Guandul
Sumatera: Kacang bali, Ritiklias
Sunda: Kacang hiris
Swahili: Mbaasi
Taiwan: 埔姜豆 - 木豆 - 柳豆 - 白樹豆
Tamil: அடக்கி - இருப்புளி - காய்ச்சி - துவரை Adhaki, Iruppuli, Kaycci, Tuvarai
Tangkhul: Khaithei
Telugu: Adhaki, Kandi, Togari, Tuvaramu
Ternate: Fouhate
Thai: ถั่วแระ
Timor: Tunis
Urdu: ارہر - توار Arhar, Tuar
Vietnam: Cay dau chieu, Dau sang, Dau thong
Wakatobi: Koloure

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