Trigonella foenum-graecum L.

Annual herbs, 30-80 cm. Taproot to 80 cm, fibrous roots lateral. Stem erect, terete, branched. Leaves 3-foliolate; stipules entire, membranous, base adnate to petiole, apex acute; petiole spreading, 6-15 mm; leaflets narrowly obovate, ovate, to ob­long-elliptic, terminal equal to laterals, 15-40 × 4-15 mm, sparsely pubescent or glabrescent abaxially, glabrous adaxially, lateral veins 5 or 6 pairs, base cuneate, margin dentate in upper 1/2. Flowers sessile, axillary, solitary or in pairs. Calyx 7-8 mm, villous. Corolla creamy or pale yellow, base violet, 13-18 mm. Ovary puberulent; ovules numerous. Legume long conical, 7-12 × 0.4-0.5 cm, straight or slightly curved, glabrescent, veins longitudinally reticulate, apex with long beak to 2 cm, distal suture thickened. Seeds 10-20, brown, oblong-ovoid, 3-5 × 2-3 mm, surface uneven. Fl. Apr-Jul, fr. Jul-Sep.

It suits dry temperate and subtropical regions. It needs a well-drained soil. It needs a sunny position. In Nepal they grow up to 2500 m altitude. It can tolerate frost. It can grow in acid, neutral and alkaline soils. It can grow in salty soils. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 380-1,530 mm. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. Hobart Botanical Gardens. In Sichuan.

The seeds can be sprouted and eaten. They are also soaked and cooked. The seeds are ground and used as a spice. They are used in curry powder. The leaves can be eaten as a vegetable. They are also dried and mixed into vegetable dishes. The bitter taste of the seeds can be removed by slightly dry roasting. The roasted seeds are used as a coffee substitute. The seeds and leaves can be brewed into a tea. The seeds produce an oil.

Plants are grown from seed. The seeds are sown directly. They are thinned out to 10 cm between plants.