Pulse or Leguminous Seeds. 



169 



The Pigeon-pea. 

 Cajanus indicus, Spreng. 



Synonyms— Z^\^s.M^ Cajan (L.) ; Cajanus flavus (D.C.); Cajanus bicolor (Wall.). 

 m»d.—Arh5.r, Thiir, Dal, Burrie-tiivar, Arhuku, Shakul. ^««^.— Dal-urur, Orol. 



Tamil— Thovaxoy. Telugte—Kanda.l\i. 

 Sanskrit— Adaki, Arhuka. 



The pigeon-pea belongs to the sub-tribe of the Cajaneae, the 

 5th under the tribe Phaseoleae. There is but one species of 

 Cajanus, and that is not truly Indian but African, although it 

 has been long cultivated in India, as the existence of a Sanskrit 

 name (arhuka) for it testifies. It is an erect shrub with slender 

 branchlets. The pod is straight, from 2 to 3 inches long, and 

 J< to J^ inch broad, 3 to 5-seeded. A variety, C. bicolor, has the 

 yellow standard of the corolla beautifully veined with red. 



This plant is extensively grown almost throughout India. 

 It is sown in June or July, and reaped according to locality 

 from December to March. It is commonly grown with judr, 

 bajra, or cotton. It prefers a light but moist soil; it is rarely 

 irrigated. The yield of seeds varies from 7 to 16 maunds per 

 acre when the crop is one of this pea alone. 



Composition of the Pigeon-pea. 



The nutrient-ratio is, in analysis 3 (the mean of 3), about 

 1:3; the nutrient-value is 80. 



This pea is largely consumed by all classes in many parts 



* o'S of phosphoric acid. t o'9 of phosphoric acid. 



