The chickpea, widely known as the garbanzo bean, is a staple food used globally in dishes from hummus to curries. Its scientific name, Cicer arietinum, reflects its ancient history and widespread cultivation as a nutritional powerhouse. If you have ever wondered whether this versatile ingredient grows on a large woody plant, the answer is no; chickpeas are the edible seeds of a small, herbaceous crop.
Botanical Identity: Not a Tree
Chickpeas are classified as an annual herbaceous plant, meaning the entire plant completes its life cycle within a single growing season and lacks a woody stem. The plant belongs to the Fabaceae family, commonly known as the legume family, which includes peas, lentils, and beans. The cultivated chickpea is the sole species within the genus Cicer grown for food.
This classification places the chickpea in stark contrast to true tree crops, which possess persistent woody stems and typically live for many years. The misconception likely stems from the common practice of referring to the seeds of various plants as “beans,” regardless of their true growth habit.
The Chickpea Plant Structure
The plant itself is small and bushy, typically growing to a height between 20 and 100 centimeters. It features a branching habit that gives it a low, full appearance. The stems and leaves are covered in fine, glandular hairs, which secrete an acidic mixture that helps protect the plant from pests.
The leaves are compound, or fern-like, with ten to twenty small leaflets arranged along a central stalk. Chickpeas develop inside a small, inflated pod that grows close to the stem, near the ground. These oblong pods are distinctive, usually holding only one or two seeds.
From Seed to Shelf: Cultivation and Harvesting
As a cool-season crop, chickpeas thrive in semi-arid regions with moderately warm weather, requiring daytime temperatures between 21°C and 29°C. The plant is well-adapted to drought conditions due to a robust and deep taproot system that can penetrate the soil up to two meters. Chickpeas also benefit the soil by hosting nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules.
Cultivation requires well-drained, loamy, or sandy soil, often with a slightly acidic to neutral pH. The plant is typically left to grow until the leaves and pods dry out and turn brown or yellow in late summer. Commercial harvesting involves cutting the entire plant just above the soil line, and then a threshing machine separates the dry seeds from the pods and plant matter.