A plant belonging to the family of Leguminosae or Fabaceae. Many legumes live in a symbiosis with bacteria in their roots, which are able to 'fix' (process) nitrogen from the atmosphere. Thanks to the nitrogen provided by the bacteria, legumes have relatively high protein levels, which makes them important agricultural plants. They can provide edible seeds (e.g. beans, peas, peanuts), animal fodder (e.g. clover, lucerne, sanfoin), or they can be used for natural nitrogen fertilisation in crop rotation.