Chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

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The information about Chickpea is by no means final and it is being continuously corrected/ updated.

Classification:


a) CLASSIFICATION
b) HIGHER HIERARCHICAL RALATIONSHIP OF Chickpea WITH OTHER Legumes


a) CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae (Leguminosae)
Subfamily: Faboideae( Papilionaceae)
Genus: Cicer
Species:C. arietinum


cellular organisms lineage
Eukaryota
Viridiplantae
Streptophyta
Streptophytina
Embryophyta
Tracheophyta
Euphyllophyta
Spermatophyta
Magnoliophyta
eudicotyledons
core eudicotyledons
rosids
eurosids I
Fabales
Fabaceae
Papilionoideae
Cicereae


  • Chickpea is the only domesticated species under the genus Cicer, which was originally classified in the tribe vicieae of the family Leguminosae and sub family, papilionoideae.
  • Based on the pollen morphology and vascular anatomy, Cicer is now set aside from the members of Vicieae and is classified in its own monogeneric tribe, Cicereae Alef.

  • The tribe, Cicereae comes closer to the tribe, Trifolieae, which differs from the former in having hypogeal germination, tendrils, stipules free from the petiole, and nonpapillate unicellular hairs.

  • The genus Cicer comprises 43 species and is divided into two subgenera.



  • The subgenus, Pseudononis is characterized by small flowers (normally 5-10 mm), subregular calyx, with hardly gibbous base, with sublinear nearly equal teeth.

  • It comprises two sections:-
    • Monocicer (annuals, with firm erect or horizontal stems branched from the base or at middle) and section,
    • Chamaecicer (annuals or perennials, with thin creeping branched stem, and small flowers).


  • The section, Monocicer comprising all annual species most important to breeders, is subdivided into three series, Arietina (characterized by imparipinnate leaves, with none to small arista), cirrhifera (leaves ending in a tendril, with short arista), and Macro-aristae (leaves imparipinnate, long arista).

  • Likewise, section Chamaecicer is divided into two series, Annua and Perennia.



  • The subgenus, Viciastrum (perennials, characterized by medium large flowers, calyx strongly gibbous at the base, with unequal teeth) comprises two sections,
    • Polycicer and
    • Acanthocicer.

    Polycicer (leaf rachis ending in a tendril or a leaflet, never a spine) is divided in to two sub-sections, Nano-polycicer (with creeping rhizome, short stem, imparipinnate leaves, weak and short arista) and Macro-polycicer (with short rhizome, non-creeping, stems ascending to 75 cm, firm arista longer than pedicel).

  • Macro-polycicer is further divided into six series:
    • persica (inflorescences 1-2 flowered, flowers 14 -15 mm, calyx teeth 2-4 times the tube, stipules 14-15 mm, half as large as the leaflets, which are in 2-12 pairs);
    • Anatolo-Persica (inflorescences 1-2 flowered, flowers 20-27 mm, calyx teeth short, stipules smaller than the largest leaflets, which are in 4 -9 pairs);
    • Europaeo-Anatolica ( inflorescences 2-5 flowered, bracts foliolate, stipules small or up to half as large as the leaflets, which are in 4-8 pairs);
    • Flexuosa (inflorescences 1-2 flowered, bracts minute, stipules much smaller than the leaflets, which are in 4 -13 pairs);
    • Songarica (inflorescences 1-2 flowered, bracts minute, stipules more or less equal to the largest leaflets, which are in 2-18 pairs); and
    • Microphylla (inflorescences 1-2 flowered, bracts minute, stipules smaller than or equal to the largest leaflets, which are in 7- 10 pairs).


  • Section Acanthocicer (perennials, with branched stems with woody base, persistent spiny leaf rachis, spiny calyx teeth, and large flowers) is divided into 3 series:
    • Pungentia (Foliate or small spiny stipules),
    • Macrocantha (long spiny stipules), and
    • Tragacanthoidea (small triangular incised stipules).


    • b) HIGHER ARCHICAL RALATIONSHIP OF Chickpea WITH OTHER Legumes
    References
  • http://www.icrisat.org/chickpea/taxonomy/frachc.htm