# Legumes as Functional Food for Cardiovascular Disease
## 2 General Characteristics of Legumes  
### Legumes Taxonomy and Distribution  
Legumes are flowering plants under the family Leguminosae (or Fabaceae) which includes around 770 genera and over 19,500 species [23]. Legumes is a collective term for all plants under the family of Leguminosae including both agricultural crops and weeds. It is the third largest family of angiosperms next to the sunflower (Asteraceae, 23,000 species) and the orchid (Orchidaceae, 22,000 species) families [24]. It includes several horticultural varieties and many species are harvested as food, medicine, dye, oil, timber, and for soil enrichment [25].  
The previous classification of the legume subfamilies was based on a few conspicuous floral characteristics; however, these characteristics are prone to evolutionary modifications. By 2017, the Legume Phylogeny Working Group published the new phylogenetic classification system for the Leguminosae based on morphological and molecular data. The family now consists of six sub-families: Cercidoideae, Detarioideae, Duparquetioideae, Caesalpinioideae, Faboideae (Papilionionidae), and Dialioidae [23]. Among the sub-families, Papilionionidae is the most widespread and includes more than 60 domesticated grain legumes that are grown and consumed all over the world [25; 26]. Legumes are valued worldwide as an inexpensive meat alternative providing a rich source of protein and micronutrients that can benefit health and livelihood particularly in developing countries [24]. Table 1 lists some examples of cultivated grain legumes along with their distribution and uses that are described in this manuscript [27].  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt} p{113.8 pt}} \hline \hline
**Common Name** & **Scientific Name** & **Distribution** & **Uses** \\ \hline Adzuki bean or red mungbean & _Vigna angularis_ (Wild.) Ohshi & Asia, USA, South America, New Zealand, Africa & For human consumption \\ \hline Chickpea & _Cicer arietinum_ L. & Mediterranean countries, South Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa & For human consumption and as animal feed \\ \hline Common bean & _Pnascolus vulgaris_ L. & India, Brazil, France, Russia, German, UK, Ukraine & For human consumption \\ \hline Cowpea & _Vigna unguiculata_ L. & Mediterranean area, Africa, Asia & For human consumption \\ \hline Faba bean & _Vicia fuba_ L. & Central Asia, Mediterranean countries, South America, Near East, Europe & For human consumption and as animal feed \\ \hline Jack bean & _Cannvalia ensiformis_ (L.) DC. & India, Far East, North and East Africa & For human consumption \\ \hline Lentil & _Lens culinaris_ Medik. & Turkey, Europe (France, Spain), Asia, Canada, USA & For human consumption \\ \hline Lupin & _Lupinus_ spp. & Europe, America & For animal feed \\ \hline Moth bean & _Vigna acoutifolia_ Jacq. & India, USA, Australia, Thailand, other parts of Asia & For human consumption and animal feed \\ \hline Mungbean & _Vigna radiata_ L. & South Asia, China, India & For human consumption \\ \hline Pea & _Pisum sativum_ L. & Europe, North America & For human consumption and animal feed \\ \hline Soybean & _Glycine max_ L. & USA, Brazil, China, Argentina, Japan & For human consumption and for animal feed \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table}
Table 1: Some examples of members of the Leguminosae family, their distribution, and their uses described in this manuscript [27].