Lens culinaris Medik.

Lentil (en), Lentille cultivée (fr), Lentille alimentaire (fr), Lentille (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Lens

Characteristics

A slender annual plant. They grow to about 25-40 cm high. It is erect with many branches. Plants are softly hairy. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk. There is usually a tendril at the end. There are 4-7 pairs of leaflets and these do not have a stalk. They are sword shaped and 1.3 cm long. The flowers are in the axils of leaves. There are 1-4 flowers in a group. The flower stalk is slender. The flowers are small and up to 8 mm long. The flowers are bluish. The pods are oblong and 1.3 cm long. There are 1-2 seeds per pod. The pods are flat and the seeds are about 3-6 mm across. There are also large seeded kinds with seeds 6-9 mm across. The seeds are lens shaped, round and curved out on both sides. The seeds become reddish brown when ripe. There are several named cultivated varieties.
More
Plants 10-50 cm tall. Stem branched from base, pubescent. Leaves: stipules 3-7 mm, white villous; leaflets sessile, 4-12-paired, 6-20 × 2-5 mm, both surfaces villous. Raceme 1-3-flowered; rachis densely white hairy. Calyx densely villous. Corolla white or blue-purple, 4.5-6.5 mm. Ovary shortly stalked, glabrous. Legume yellow, oblong, inflated, 10-15 mm. Fl. Apr-Sep, fr. May-Sep. 2n = 14, 21, 26.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.45
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) 0.6
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A plant of warm temperate and tropical zones. It prefers a sandy soil in a warm position. It produces most seed when grown on poorer soils. They grow in subtropical, warm temperate and high altitude tropical places. In India they grow from sea level to 3,500 m altitude. In Nepal they grow to about 1000 m altitude. In Ethiopia it grows between 1,600-2,350 m above sea level. They can grow on a range of soils. It suits hardiness zones 7-11. In Yunnan.
More
Not known in the wild.
Not known in the wild.
Light 7-9
Soil humidity 1-6
Soil texture 1-6
Soil acidity 3-7
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 7-12

Usage

The seed are cooked or sprouted or eaten raw. Young seedpods can be cooked and eaten. The ground seed can be used with cereals. The seeds are often eaten in soups and stews. They are served as Dahl in India. Lentil flour can be mixed with cereal flour to bake bread. The sprouted seeds are eaten in salads, vegetable dishes and soups.
Uses animal food environmental use fodder food forage gene source green manure medicinal
Edible pods seeds
Therapeutic use Lipid peroxidation (fruit), Ulcer (fruit), Acne vulgaris (seed), Anemia (seed), Antidiuretic agents (seed), Antifungal agents (seed), Asthenia (seed), Cardiovascular diseases (seed), Constipation (seed), Diarrhea (seed), Dysentery (seed), Dysuria (seed), Eye diseases (seed), Fever (seed), Flatulence (seed), Furunculosis (seed), Hemagglutination (seed), Hemorrhage (seed), Hypercholesterolemia (seed), Intestinal diseases (seed), Jaundice (seed), Laxatives (seed), Menorrhagia (seed), Neoplasms (seed), Parasympatholytics (seed), Polyuria (seed), Skin diseases (seed), Ulcer (seed), Urination disorders (seed), Cancer(Toothh) (unspecified), Scurvy (unspecified), Tumor(Abdomen) (unspecified), Ulcer (unspecified), Anemia (unspecified), Asthenia (unspecified), Astringents (unspecified), Constipation (unspecified), Diarrhea (unspecified), Diet, food, and nutrition (unspecified), Diuretics (unspecified), Dysentery (unspecified), Gastrointestinal diseases (unspecified), Graves ophthalmopathy (unspecified), Headache (unspecified), Heart diseases (unspecified), Hemorrhoids (unspecified), Herpesvirus 2, bovine (unspecified), Lactation disorders (unspecified), Neoplasms (unspecified), Skin diseases (unspecified), Urination disorders (unspecified), Vomiting (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Seed are sown where they are to grow. Plants are normally self pollinated but cross pollination can occur. In India it is often grown mixed with rice. When grown as a pure stand it can be broadcast or planted in rows.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -10
Optimum temperature (C°) 15 - 29
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Lens culinaris habit picture by Samuel Dufour-Kowalski (cc-by-sa)
Lens culinaris habit picture by Samuel Dufour-Kowalski (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Lens culinaris leaf picture by Yvon Aimé (cc-by-sa)
Lens culinaris leaf picture by Louis Buchalet (cc-by-sa)
Lens culinaris leaf picture by D Chris (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Lens culinaris flower picture by Claude Provaux (cc-by-sa)
Lens culinaris flower picture by Jean-Pierre (cc-by-sa)
Lens culinaris flower picture by lower case t (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Lens culinaris fruit picture by Jean Deschâtres (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Lens culinaris world distribution map, present in Afghanistan, Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Algeria, Ecuador, Spain, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lebanon, Libya, Sri Lanka, Morocco, Madagascar, Northern Mariana Islands, Mauritius, Mayotte, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Tanzania, United Republic of, United States of America, Viet Nam, Yemen, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30001819-2
WFO ID wfo-0000212711
COL ID 6P8RY
BDTFX ID 38239
INPN ID 105447
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Lens lens Ervum lens Lens esculenta Orobus lens Lentilla lens Lathyrus lens Cicer lens Ervum lens Lens culinaris

Lower taxons

Lens culinaris subsp. culinaris Lens culinaris subsp. tomentosus Lens culinaris subsp. odemensis Lens culinaris subsp. microsperma Lens culinaris subsp. esculenta Lens culinaris var. biebersteinii Lens culinaris var. faurei Lens culinaris var. tenorei Lens culinaris var. villosa