- Broad beans, also known as Windsor or English beans, horse beans, field beans and fava beans, are named after their large, flat seeds that grow in thick pods. Broad bean plants are leafy, erect legumes that can grow to reach 5 feet in height when mature, and they bloom with small, white or sometimes crimson red flowers that are borne in spikelets. The flowers of broad beans typically feature a distinctive black spot, and they are fragrant to help attract bees and other pollinators.
- Cauliflower is a white vegetable that is in reality the unopened flower head of the plant. Young cauliflower flowers resemble those of broccoli, the vegetable's closest relative. As cauliflower matures, however, it differs from broccoli in that instead of opening outward to sprout branches of florets, cauliflower compacts to form a head of firm, undeveloped white or cream-colored flower buds. The heavy leaves that surround cauliflower protect the colorless flower from direct sunlight, preventing the production of chlorophyll in the buds and mature flowers.
- Chickpeas, also called Bengal grams, Indian peas, chana and garbonzo beans, are among the earliest vegetables cultivated by man, with evidence suggesting their presence as crops throughout the Mediterranean and India since at least 7,500 years ago. These legumes are annuals that grow to heights of 50 cm, and they bloom with small white flowers, which sometimes have light pink, purple or blue veins, before producing pods containing two or three chickpeas.
- Pod peas produce delicate summer flowers in shades of white, though some varieties bloom in shades of yellow, pink, purple and deep red. White-flowering sugar and "mange-tout," which is French for "eat-all," peas are typically eaten whole before the pod matures, while the cylindrical pods of snap and sugar peas are usually eaten while still crisp, before the seeds are fully developed.
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