A
legume ( or ) is a
plant in the family
Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the
fruit or
seed of such a plant. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for their
food grain seed (example beans and lentils, or generally
pulse), for
livestock forage and
silage, and as soil-enhancing
green manure. Legumes are notable in that most of them have symbiotic
nitrogen-fixing bacteria in structures called
root nodules. Well-known legumes include
alfalfa,
clover,
peas,
beans,
lentils,
lupins,
mesquite,
carob,
soybeans,
peanuts and
tamarind.