Trigonella foenum-graecum

• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Fabaceae

The Fabaceae are herbs, vines , shrubs , trees , and lianas found in both temperate and tropical areas. They comprise one of the largest families of flowering plants , numbering 630 genera and 18,000 species. The leaves are stipulate , nearly always alternate, and range from bipinnately or palmately compound to simple . The petiole base is commonly enlarged into a pulvinus that commonly functions in orientation of the leaves (sometimes very responsively, as in the sensitive plant, Mimosa pudica). The flowers are usually bisexual , actinomorphic to zygomorphic, slightly to strongly perigynous, and commonly in racemes , spikes, or heads . The perianth commonly consists of a calyx and corolla of 5 segments each. The androecium consists of commonly 1- many stamens (most commonly 10), distinct or variously united , sometimes some of them reduced to staminodes. The pistil is simple, often stipitate , comprising a single style and stigma, and a superior ovary with one locule containing 2-many marginal ovules. The fruit is usually a legume, sometimes a samara, loment, follicle, indehiscent pod, achene, drupe, or berry. The seeds often have a hard coat with hourglass-shaped cells , and sometimes bear a u-shaped line called a pleurogram. [Carr]

Subfamily Faboideae

Mostly herbs, shrubs , or trees . Leaves pinnate or palmate to trifoliolate or apparently simple . Corolla usually, showy, zygomorphic, the petals imbricate, posterior (upper or banner ) petal outermost in bud. Stamens 10 or 9 + 1 (diadelphous ), not showy. Pollen released in monads . Seeds with u-shaped line (pleurogram) lacking. [Carr]

Genus Trigonella

Annual herbs. Leaf pinnately trifoliolate , leaflets usually dentate ; stipules adnate to petiole . Inflorescence solitary axillary or a head , or spike or short raceme . Bracts minute, bracteoles absent. Calyx teeth equal or unequal. Corolla yellow, blue or purplish, free from the staminal tube , deciduous. Stamens diadelphous , 9+1 or monadelphous , anthers uniform . Ovary sessile or stipitate , ovules numerous , style glabrous , stigma terminal . Fruit linear or oblong , straight or arcuate , dehiscing along one suture or indehiscent, continuous within, 1-many seeded.

A genus with about 70 species, having its centre of distribution along the Mediterranean.[1]

Physical Description

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,815 meters (0 to 9,236 feet).[2]

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Annual

Growth

Culture: Space 15-18" apart.

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun .

Temperature: Cold Hardiness: Not Applicable (map)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Melilotus coerulea (L.)desr.
2. Melilotus coeruleus (L.)desr.
3. Trifolium caerulea L.
4. Trifolium caeruleum L.
5. Trigonella coerulea (Desr.)ser.
6. Trigonella melilotus-coerulea (L.)asch. & Graebn.
7. Trigonella melilotus-coeruleus (L.)asch. & Graebn.

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: Heyn C.C., Heller D., 1991-1993

Place of publication : Sp. pl. 2:777. 1753

Name verified on 02-Sep-1987 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 19-Apr-2000

Similar Species

Members of the genus Trigonella

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 190 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:

T. adscendens · T. aegyptiaca · T. afghanica · T. aleppica · T. amana · T. amandiana · T. americana · T. anatolica · T. anguina · T. aphanoneura · T. arabica · T. arcuata · T. arenicola · T. arguta · T. aristata · T. astroides · T. astroites · T. aucheri · T. aurantiaca · T. azurea · T. badachschanica · T. balachowskyi · T. balansae · T. berythea · T. besseriana · T. bicolor · T. brachycarpa · T. brachypoda · T. cachemiriana · T. cachemyriana · T. caelesyriaca · T. caerulea (Blue-White Trigonella) · T. caerulescens · T. caespitosa · T. calliceras · T. cancellata · T. capitata · T. carica · T. cariensis · T. cassia · T. cedretorum · T. cephalotes · T. cilicica · T. coelesyriaca · T. coerulea · T. coerulescens · T. connata · T. esculenta (Wild Trefoil) · T. crassipes · T. cretica · T. crossei · T. cylindracea · T. cylindrica · T. da · T. dasycarpa (Lozhnomelissitus Volosistoplod) · T. disperma · T. divaricata · T. dura · T. edelbergii · T. elatior · T. elliptica · T. emodi · T. ensifera · T. eremophila · T. esculenta · T. faenum-graecum · T. falcata · T. fasciculata · T. filiformis · T. filipes · T. fimbriata · T. focnum-graecum · T. foecum-graecum · T. foenum-graceum · T. foenum-graecum (Griechischer Bockshornklee) · T. freitagii · T. gaillardoti · T. geminiflora · T. gharuensis · T. glabra · T. glabra uncata · T. gladiata · T. gontscharovii · T. gracilis · T. graeca · T. graecum · T. grandiflora · T. griffithii · T. halophila · T. hamosa · T. hamosa hamosa · T. heratensis · T. hierosolymitana · T. hybrida · T. incisa · T. indica · T. ionantha · T. iskanderi · T. isthmocarpa · T. jemenensis

More Info

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Further Reading

• Agricultural bacteriology, by Joseph E. Greaves illustrated with 48 engravings. PhiladelphiaLea & Febiger, 1922. ENG url p. 295.
• Botanisches Zentralblatt; referierendes Organ für das Gesamtgebiet der Botanik. Jena [etc.]G. Fischer [etc.] GER url p. 271.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) ENG url p. 60, p. 96.
• Carotenoids, their comparative biochemistry. New York, Chemical Pub. Co., 1954. ENG url p. 340.
• Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986–1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols. (HerbSpices)
• Davis, P. H., ed. 1965–1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands. (F Turk)
• Duke, J. A. 1981. Handbook of legumes of world economic importance. (Leg WorldEc)
• Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage. (Zander ed13)
• Experiment station record. Washington: G.P.O., 1889-1946. ENG url p. 595.
• Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. (Dict Gard)
• Inventory of seeds and plants imported / U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1914-1924. ENG url p. 133, p. 182, p. 79.
• Just's botanischer jahresbericht. Systematisch geordnetes repertorium der botanischen literatur aller länder. Berlin, Gebr. Borntraeger, 1874-98; GER url p. 164, p. 229, p. 242, p. 984.
• Leaf-mining insects / by James G. Needham, Stuart W. Frost, Beatrice H. Tothill. Baltimore: The Williams & Wilkins company, [c1928] ENG url p. 321.
• Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2. (Ency CNatIn)
• Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. (Hortus 3)
• Maesen, L. J. G. van der & Sadikin Somaatmadja, eds. 1989. Pulses. Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA). (Pl Res SEAs) 1:17.
• Magness, J. R. et al. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. IR Bull. 1. (Crops US)
• Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2. (Food Feed Crops US)
• McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
• Mouterde, P. 1966–. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie. (F Liban)
• Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970–. Flora of [West] Pakistan. (F Pak)
• Pottier-Alapetite, G. 1979–1981. Flore de la Tunisie: Angiospermes-Dicotyledones. (F Tunis)
• Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963–. Flora iranica. (F Iran)
• Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics. (CultTropS)
• Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants. (Dict Rehm)
• Seeds and plants imported / U.S. Department of Agriculture. Washington, D.C.: G.P.O., 1903-1913. ENG url p. 49, p. 72.
• Small, E. et al. 1981. The taxonomic value of floral characters in tribe Trigonelleae (Leguminosae), with special reference to Medicago. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1581.
• The Ohio journal of science. [Columbus, Ohio, The Ohio State University and the Ohio Academy of Science] ENG url p. 443.
• The transactions of the Academy of Science of St. Louis. St. Louis: The Academy, 1860-1958. ENG url p. 118, p. 233.
• Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. 1966–. Flora of Iraq. (F Iraq)
• Transactions of the Academy of Science of Saint Louis. [St. Louis, Academy of Science of St. Louis] ENG url p. 118, p. 233.
• Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964–1980. Flora europaea. (F Eur)
• Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966–. Flora palaestina. (F Palest)

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 29, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 26 providers.
• ILDIS World Database of LegumesNov 10, 2005.
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (May 01, 2008)

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 29, 2007:

• Berkeley Natural History Museums, University and Jepson Herbaria DiGIR provider
• Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien, Conservatoire botanique national du Bassin parisien
• GBIF-Spain, Aranzadi Zientzi Elkartea
• GBIF-Spain, Universidad del País Vasco/EHU, Bilbao: Herbario BIO
• GBIF-Spain, Universitat de Girona: HGI-Cormophyta
• International Plant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI), EURISCO
• International Plant Genetic Resources Institute(IPGRI), The System-wide Information Network for Genetic Resources
• Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Israel Nature and Parks Authority
• Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research
• , IPK Genebank
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• National Herbarium of New South Wales, NSW herbarium collection
• Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Vascular Plant Herbarium, Oslo
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Herbarium of Oskarshamn
• The Swedish Museum of Natural History
• , Lund Botanical Museum
• UK National Biodiversity Network, Botanical Society of the British Isles - Vascular Plants Database
• US National Plant Germplasm System, United States National Plant Germplasm System Collection

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2669665
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ILD-5458
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 14176827
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:58514-3
• GRIN Nomen Number: 40421
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 505590
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: TRFO80
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 66834

Footnotes

1. "Trigonella". in Flora of Pakistan Page 290. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Mean = 518.250 meters (1,700.295 feet), Standard Deviation = 658.630 based on 332 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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