Previous Year Question
Consider the following plants:
Groundnut
Horse-gram
Soybean
How many of the above belong to the pea family?
Only one
Only two
All three
None of these
Correct Answer: C
Detailed Solution
All three plants belong to the family Fabaceae, also known as Leguminosae or the pea/legume family.
Groundnut: Its scientific name is Arachis hypogaea, and it belongs to Fabaceae.
Horse gram: Its scientific name is Macrotyloma uniflorum, and it also belongs to Fabaceae.
Soybean: Its scientific name is Glycine max, which is also classified under Fabaceae.
The principal trap in this question is that groundnut and soybean are primarily classified as oilseed crops for agricultural and economic purposes. However, their economic classification does not alter their botanical family. Botanically, groundnut, horse gram and soybean are all legumes.
Plants of the Fabaceae family generally produce their fruits in the form of pods. Many members also possess root nodules containing Rhizobium bacteria, which assist in atmospheric nitrogen fixation.