Flora of North America species comparison

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Cicer arietinum

chick-pea, garbanzo bean
Habit Herbs (20–)25–60(–100) cm, ± branched from base, deep-rooted.
Leaves

stipules ovate to oblique-triangular, 3–5(–11) × (1–)2–4(–6) mm, teeth 2–4(–6);

petiole 5–10 mm;

rachis green distally, with or without anthocyanins, or purple throughout, 25–60(–75) mm, grooved adaxially;

leaflets opposite or alternate, subsessile, crowded or not, blades obovate-oblong to elliptic, (6–)10–15(–20) × (3–)4–12(–14) mm, base cuneate to rounded, margin teeth sometimes curved, to 1.5(–2) mm, apex rounded to acuminate, abaxial surface more prominently ribbed and more glandular-pubescent than adaxial.
Peduncles

(6–)13–17(–30) mm;

bracts 0.5–1.5 mm.
Pedicels

straight in flower, recurved in fruit, 6–13 mm.
Flowers

calyx green or purple, tube 3–4 mm, lobes lanceolate, 5–6 mm, midrib prominent;

corolla 5–29 mm, veined;

stamens 6–8 mm;

ovary ovoid, 2–3 mm;

style 3–4 mm.
Legumes

14–25(–29) × 8–15(–20) mm.
Seeds

white, cream, brown, black, or dull green, (4–)7–10(–11) × 5–8 mm, beak conspicuous, coat rough or smooth (sometimes minute black dots or speckles present);

hilum grayish, deep.
2n

= (14), 16.

Cicer arietinum
Phenology Flowering spring–summer.
Habitat Fields, waste places.
Elevation 0–900(–2400) m. (0–3000(–7900) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; ND; WA; SK; s Europe; Asia (India) [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America (Argentina, Brazil, Chile), n Africa]
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Discussion

Cicer arietinum is cultivated in the United States in California, Idaho (particularly the Palouse region), North Dakota, and Washington, and in Canada in Alberta and Saskatchewan. The species occasionally escapes from cultivation but is not known to be invasive; it is the third most important pulse crop in the world, after beans and peas, and was introduced from the Mediterranean region and India. Cicer arietinum is widely cultivated as a cool-season crop in semi-arid, tropical areas of the world, or in summers in temperate zones. Mutants with phyllodes or unifoliolate leaves are known.

In North America, chickpeas are often canned; large- and cream-seeded Kabuli cultivars are used in salad bars. Hummus, mashed chickpeas with sesame oil and spices, is a popular appetizer in the Near East and has become popular in the West. The largest producer of Cicer arietinum is India, where it contributes protein to the vegetarian diet in a wide range of dishes.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Cicer
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 738. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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