Chickpea

Chick-pea (Cicer arietinum), an annual leguminous plant, apparently a native of Armenia, but possibly also of Southern Europe. Its leaves consist of from seven to fifteen egg-shaped, toothed leaflets; its flowers are white or pink and solitary, and its pods from an inch to an inch and a half long, rhomboidal, inflated, and containing two seeds. These being supposed to resemble a ram's head give the plant its specific name. The stem and leaves exude a dew of oxalic acid which crystallises on their surface and will destroy the boots of a person walking through a field. The plant has long been largely cultivated in India under the name of Gram, the seeds being ground into meal, toasted or candied. In France they are used in soups.