Why are some pulses known as leguminous crop?

Pulses are a type of leguminous crop that are harvested solely for the dry seed. Dried beans, lentils and peas are the most commonly known and consumed types of pulses.

Pulses do not include crops which are harvested green (e. g. green peas, green beans) - these are classified as vegetable crops. Also excluded are those crops used mainly for oil extraction (e. g. soybean and groundnuts) and leguminous crops that are used exclusively for sowing purposes (e. g. seeds of clover and alfalfa).