Common Scientific Name Native location Domestication Use
Name
Rice Oryza sativa Asia 11500 ya Cereal
Corn Zea mays C America/ 5500 ya Cereal crop
Mexico
Soybean Glycine max China 3000 ya Legume
Barley Hordeum vulgare Fertile crescent 12000 ya Cereal, gluten
Wheat Triticum monococcum Fertile crescent <12000 ya Cereal, gluten
Rye, triticale Secale cereal SW Asia 5000 ya Cereal, gluten
Oats Avena sativa Europe 4500 ya Cereal
Common Scientific Monocot Uses/ other
/ dicot
Sorghum Sorghum bicolour Monocot Grass, C4, 4 , India/ Africa
Sugarcan Saccharum spp. Monocot Grass, C4, SW pacific
e
Peas Pisum sativum Dicot Legume, Recent
Lentils Lens culinaris Dicot Legume, Drought resistant, easily digested
Chick Cicer arietinum Dicot Legume
peas/
garbonzoa
Cowpea Vigna unguiculata Dicot Legume, black eyed pea, Africa
Groundnut Vigna Dicot Legume, Africa, replaced by peanut
subterranea
Common Phaseolus Dicot Legume, 100+ varieties, Central/ South America
bean vulgaris 3000 ya, complementary to corn
Lima bean Phaseolus Dicot Legume, dry form, Central America 7-10000 ya
lunatus
Many Vicia faba Dicot Legume, large/ medium/ small names, annual,
from near east, animal feed
Peanut Arachis hypogaea Dicot Legume, fruit matures into pod underground, lots
of oil and protein, from Peru, susceptible to fungi Taro Colocasia Monocot Starch, from SE Asia, makes dough
esculenta
Cassava/ Manihot Dicot Starch or pearls, from S America, no protein, heat,
Manioc esculenta drought, pests and acid resistant, waxed, sweet
and bitter types, contains cyanide
Jerusalem Helianthus Dicot Easily cultivated, protein and inulin (fructose),
artichoke tuberosus tubers have no starch
Arrowroot Tubers, gluten free
Breadfruit Artocarpus altilis Dicot Starchy melon, texture from potato mango
Cattail Use roots, sap and shoots
Bananas/ Musa spp. Monocot From Indo-Malaysia, ovaries develop without
plantains pollination, seedless
Apple Malus pumila Dicot First fruit tree to be domesticated
Cocoa Theobroma Food of the gods, cocoa butter, different types
cacao
Kola tree Cola nitida W Africa, coca cola, caffeine and kolanin
Tea Camellia sinensis China 4-5000 ya, black tea
Fertile Crescent: peas, lentils, chick peas, wheat, barley, vetch, do
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