Loment vs. Legume — What's the Difference?

Found within the legume family, but not all legumes produce loments.

A plant family known for its pod-like fruits, also refers to the fruits/seeds themselves.

Designed to break into pieces, each carrying a seed.

Rich in protein, fiber, and micronutrients.

Segmented, often with constrictions between seeds.

Play a critical role in nitrogen cycling and soil health.

Facilitates seed dispersal by mechanical means.

Used for food, fodder, and soil improvement through nitrogen fixation.

A segmented fruit typical of certain legume plants.

Includes a wide range of plants from herbaceous to woody species.

A loment (or lomentum) is a type of indehiscent legume fruit that breaks apart at constrictions occurring between segments, so that each segment contains one seed. It is a type of schizocarp.Tick trefoil (Desmodium) and sweet vetch (Hedysarum) are two genera that exhibit this fruit type, which is found particularly in the tribe Hedysareae of the family Fabaceae.

A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse.

A dry fruit of certain leguminous plants, such as the tick trefoil, having constrictions between the seeds and separating at maturity into one-seeded segments.

A plant of the pea family.

(botany) A type of modified legume that breaks apart at constrictions occurring between the segments of the seeds.

A pod of such a plant, which splits into two valves with the seeds attached to one edge of the valves.

An elongated pod, consisting, like the legume, of two valves, but divided transversely into small cells, each containing a single seed.

Such a pod or seed used as food. Peas, beans, and lentils are legumes.

Pods constricted between seeds and breaking apart when ripe into one-seed segments

(botany) The fruit or seed of leguminous plants (as peas or beans) used for food.

(botany) Any of a large family (Fabaceae, syn. Leguminosae) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees having fruits that are legumes or loments, bearing nodules on the roots that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and including important food and forage plants (as peas, beans, or clovers).

(botany) A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea.

A pod dehiscent into two pieces or valves, and having the seed attached at one suture, as that of the pea.

The fruit of leguminous plants, as peas, beans, lupines; pulse.

An erect or climbing bean or pea plant of the family Leguminosae

The fruit or seed of any of various bean or pea plants consisting of a two-valved case that splits along both sides when ripe and having the seeds attached to one edge of the valves

The seedpod of a leguminous plant (such as peas or beans or lentils)

A loment is a type of legume fruit that is segmented and breaks into pieces, each containing one or more seeds.

Legumes are crucial in agriculture for their nitrogen-fixing ability, which improves soil fertility, and for their nutritional value.

Yes, some legumes are trees, such as acacias, which also produce pod-like fruits.

Not all legumes are edible; some are grown for other purposes, such as soil improvement or as ornamentals.

Legumes benefit the environment by fixing nitrogen in the soil, which reduces the need for synthetic fertilizers.

A loment is segmented and breaks into pieces for seed dispersal, unlike regular legume pods that split open along seams.

Loments disperse their seeds by breaking into segments upon maturity, which then can be spread by various means.

The ecological role of a loment is to facilitate seed dispersal through its unique segmented structure.

A legume can refer to a family of plants known for their pod-like fruits that open to release seeds, or to the fruits/seeds themselves.

A peanut is considered a legume because it grows underground and belongs to the legume family, despite its common name.

Legumes are a good food source due to their high protein, fiber, and essential nutrients content.

Most legumes have the ability to fix nitrogen in symbiosis with bacteria, but the efficiency can vary among species.

Yes, wild legumes or those used as cover crops can improve soil health through nitrogen fixation without being harvested.

All members of the legume family produce some form of pod, though the size, shape, and characteristics like being a loment can vary.

Loments enhance seed dispersal efficiency by breaking into segments, which can spread seeds over a wider area.