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List of edible seeds A list of edible seeds here includes seeds
that are directly foodstuffs, rather than yielding derived products.
A variety of species can provide edible seeds. Of the six major plant parts, seeds are the
dominant source of human calories and protein. The other five major plant parts are roots,
stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Most edible seeds are angiosperms, but a few are gymnosperms.
The most important global seed food source, by weight, is cereals, followed by legumes,
and nuts. The list is divided into the following categories:
Beans and other legumes are protein-rich soft seeds.
Cereals (or grains) are grass-like crops that are harvested for their dry seeds. These seeds
are often ground to make flour. Cereals provide almost half of all calories consumed in the
world. Botanically, true cereals are members of the Poaceae, the true grass family.
Pseudocereals are cereal crops that are not grasses.
Pseudocereals are cereal crops that are not grasses.
Nuts are botanically a specific type of fruit, but the term is also applied to many edible
seeds that are not nuts in a botanical sense.
Gymnosperms produce nut-like seeds but neither flowers nor fruits.
Gymnosperms produce nut-like seeds but neither flowers nor fruits.
Beans See also: Category:Edible legumes, Seed cake
Beans and other legumes, or pulses, include: Bambara groundnut
chickpea cowpeas
black-eyed pea black-eyed pea
dry beans, including
common bean several species of Vigna, such as the lentil
common bean several species of Vigna, such as the lentil
fava or broad bean hyacinth bean
lupin moringa
pea peanut
pigeon pea Sterculia species
velvet bean winged bean
yam beans soybean
Although some beans can be consumed raw, some need to be heated before consumption. In certain
cultures, beans that need heating are initially prepared as a seed cake. Beans that need heating
include: Acacia species (wattleseed), such as mulga
(Acacia aneura), Halls Creek wattle (A. cowleana), southern ironwood (A. estrophiolata), umbrella
bush (A. ligulata), Murray's wattle (A. murrayana), curara (A. tetragonophylla), witchetty bush
(A. kempeana), wiry wattle (A. coriacea), mallee golden wattle (A. notabilis), ranji
bush (A. pyrifolia), bardi bush (A. victoriae), coastal wattle (A. sophorae), shoestring acacia
(A. stenophylla), and pindan wattle (A. tumida). Atriplex nummularia – old man saltbush
Brachychiton species, such as kurrajong (Brachychiton populneus), northern kurrajong (B. diversifolius),
desert kurrajong (B. gregorii), and red-flowered kurrajong (B. paradoxus).
Bruguiera gymnorhiza – black mangrove Calandrinia balonensis – parakeelya
Canarium australianum – mango bark Canavalia rosea – beach bean
Entada phaseoloides – St. Thomas bean Eucalyptus species, such as tammin mallee
(Eucalyptus leptopoda) and coolibah (E. microtheca) Marsilea drummondii – nardoo
Portulaca species, such as common purslane (Portulaca oleracea) and large pigweed (P.
intraterranea) Nymphaea gigantea – giant waterlily
Rhyncharrhena linearis – purple pentatrope Cereals
True cereals are the seeds of certain species of grass. Maize, wheat, and rice account for
about half of the calories consumed by people every year. Grains can be ground into flour
for bread, cake, noodles, and other food products. They can also be boiled or steamed, either
whole or ground, and eaten as is. Many cereals are present or past staple foods, providing
a large fraction of the calories in the places that they are eaten. Cereals include:
barley fonio
maize (corn) pearl millet
oats Palmer's grass
rice rye
sorghum spelt
teff triticale
wheat wild rice
Other grasses with edible seeds include: Astrebla pectinata – barley Mitchell grass
Brachiaria piligera – wattle signalgrass Eragrostis eriopoda – woollybutt grass
Panicum species, such as native millet (Panicum decompositum) and hairy panic (P. effusum)
Themeda triandra – kangaroo grass Yakirra australiensis – bunch panic
Pseudocereals breadnut
buckwheat cattail
chia flax
grain amaranth kañiwa
pitseed goosefoot quinoa
sesame Nuts
See also: List of edible nuts According to the botanical definition, nuts
are a particular kind of seed. Chestnuts, hazelnuts, and acorns are examples of nuts
under this definition. In culinary terms, however, the term is used more broadly to
include fruits that are not botanically qualified as nuts, but that have a similar appearance
and culinary role. Examples of culinary nuts include almonds, coconuts, and cashews.
acorn almond
beech Brazil nut
candlenut cashew
chestnuts, including:
Chinese chestnut sweet chestnut
Chinese chestnut sweet chestnut
Chilean hazel coconut
egusi and other melon seeds, including:
colocynth Malabar gourd
pepita ugu
colocynth Malabar gourd
pepita ugu
hazelnuts, including:
filbert filbert
hickory, including:
pecan shagbark hickory
pecan shagbark hickory
Indian beech kola nut
macadamia Malabar almond
Malabar chestnut mamoncillo
mongongo ogbono
paradise nut pili
pistachio walnuts, including:
black walnut black walnut
water chestnut Nut-like gymnosperm seeds
cycads ginkgo
gnetum juniper
monkey-puzzle pine nuts, including
Chilgoza pine Korean pine
Mexican pinyon piñon pine
single-leaf pinyon stone pine
Chilgoza pine Korean pine
Mexican pinyon piñon pine
single-leaf pinyon stone pine
podocarps Other
cempedak cocoa bean
coffee bean fox nut
hemp jackfruit
lotus seed sunflower seed