Taxon:  Trigonella foenum-graecum L.



Summary
Genus:
Trigonella
Family:
Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)
Subfamily:
Faboideae
Tribe:
Trifolieae
Nomen number:
40421
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 2:777.  1753
Verified:
09/02/1987 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
267 (200  active, 187  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Autonym(s)
Trigonella foenum-graecum L. subsp. foenum-graecum

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Trigonella foenum-graecum L. subsp. indica Sinskaya ex Soskov & Bairamov

No images


Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Afonin, A. N., S. L. Greene, N. I. Dzyubenko, & A. N. Frolov, eds. Interactive agricultural ecological atlas of Russia and neighboring countries. Economic plants and their diseases, pests and weeds (on-line resource).
  2. Ahmad, F. et al. 1999. Localization and activity of rRNA genes on fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) chromosomes by fluorescent in situ hybridization and silver staining. Theor. Appl. Genet. 98:179-185. Note: 2n=16; it proposed that presence of "two satellited chromosome pairs" could be explained by hyrbridization of two species/cytotypes
  3. Akan, H. et al. 2020. The synopsis of the genus Trigonella L. (Fabaceae) in Turkey. Turk. J. Bot. 44:670-693. DOI: 10.3906/bot-2004-63.
  4. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  5. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  6. Basu, S. K. et al. 2018. Chapter 28. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.): distribution, genetic diversity, and potential to serve as an industrial crop for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and functional food industries. In: Watson, R. R. et al., The Role of Functional Food security in Global Health 471-497. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00028-1.
  7. Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.
  8. Coulot, P. & P. Rabaute. 2013. Monographie des Leguminosae de France. Soc. Bot. Centre-Ouest 3:619-712.
  9. Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
  10. Dangi, R. et al. 2016. Molecular phylogenetics and systematics of Trigonella L. (Fabaceae) based on nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast trnL intron sequences. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 63:79-96. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-015-0236-4.
  11. Davis, P. H., ed. 1965-1988. Flora of Turkey and the east Aegean islands.
  12. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  13. Duke, J. A. 1981. Handbook of legumes of world economic importance
  14. Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage
  15. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  16. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  17. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  18. Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR. 11:119-120.
  19. Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
  20. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
  21. Maesen, L. J. G. van der & Sadikin Somaatmadja, eds. 1989. Pulses. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 1:17.
  22. Magness, J. R. et al. 1971. Food and feed crops of the United States. IR Bull. 1
  23. Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
  24. McCormick, K. M. et al. 2009. Phenotypic variation within a fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) germplasm collection. I. Description of the collection. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 56:639-649. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-008-9398-7. Note: recognized two subspecies, subsp. indica and subsp. foenum-graecum
  25. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  26. Mikić, A. . 2015. Brief but alarming reminder about the need for reintroducing ‘Greek hay’ (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) in Mediterranean agricultures. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 62:951-958. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-015-0260-4.
  27. Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
  28. Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:132.
  29. Nasir, E. & S. I. Ali, eds. 1970-. Flora of [West] Pakistan.
  30. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  31. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  32. Pottier-Alapetite, G. 1979-1981. Flore de la Tunisie: Angiospermes-Dicotyledones.
  33. Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
  34. Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
  35. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  36. Sharma, S. et al. 2015. Vegetable production in India: an overveiw. Chron. Hort. 55:23-28.
  37. Small, E. et al. 1981. The taxonomic value of floral characters in tribe Trigonelleae (Leguminosae), with special reference to Medicago. Canad. J. Bot. 59:1581.
  38. Townsend, C. C. & E. Guest. 1966-. Flora of Iraq.
  39. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  40. Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
  41. Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishfenugreek  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
EnglishGreek hay  1Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
EnglishGreek-clover  1Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Frenchfenugrec  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanBockshornklee  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishalholva  2Craker, L. E. & J. E. Simon, eds. 1986-1987. Herbs, spices, and medicinal plants, 2 vols.
Swedishbockhornsklöver  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Transcribed Chinesehu lu ba  2Wu Zheng-yi & P. H. Raven et al., eds. 1994-. Flora of China (English edition).
Transcribed Hindimehti  2Sharma, S. et al. 2015. Vegetable production in India: an overveiw. Chron. Hort. 55:23-28.
Transcribed Koreanhoropa  2Mun-Chan, B. et al. 1986. A checklist of the Korean cultivated plants. Kulturpflanze 34:132.
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusArmenia   
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusAzerbaijan   
1NativeAsia-TemperateCaucasusRussian FederationDagestan  
1NativeAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaTurkmenistan   
1NativeAsia-TemperateMiddle AsiaUzbekistan   
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeEstonia   
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeLithuania   
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeMoldova   
1NativeEuropeEastern EuropeUkraine   
2Cultivated    also cult.Basu, S. K. et al. 2018. Chapter 28. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.): distribution, genetic diversity, and potential to serve as an industrial crop for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and functional food industries. In: Watson, R. R. et al., The Role of Functional Food security in Global Health 471-497. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00028-1.
4Naturalized    natzd. elsewhereEuro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Native
Asia-Temperate
  • CAUCASUS: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation [Dagestan]
  • MIDDLE ASIA: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Europe
  • EASTERN EUROPE: Estonia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine
Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized (natzd. elsewhere)

Reference(s)
  1. Basu, S. K. et al. 2018. Chapter 28. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.): distribution, genetic diversity, and potential to serve as an industrial crop for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and functional food industries. In: Watson, R. R. et al., The Role of Functional Food security in Global Health 471-497. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00028-1.
  2. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Animal foodfodder Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
Animal foodforage Basu, S. K. et al. 2018. Chapter 28. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.): distribution, genetic diversity, and potential to serve as an industrial crop for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and functional food industries. In: Watson, R. R. et al., The Role of Functional Food security in Global Health 471-497. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00028-1.
Environmentalsoil improverpotentialMcCormick, K. M. et al. 2009. Phenotypic variation within a fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) germplasm collection. I. Description of the collection. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 56:639-649. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-008-9398-7. Note: recognized two subspecies, subsp. indica and subsp. foenum-graecum
Food additivesflavoring Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Food additivesflavoring Mikić, A. . 2015. Brief but alarming reminder about the need for reintroducing ‘Greek hay’ (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.) in Mediterranean agricultures. Genet. Resources Crop Evol. 62:951-958. DOI: 10.1007/s10722-015-0260-4.
Food additivesflavoringingredient of curryBasu, S. K. et al. 2018. Chapter 28. Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.): distribution, genetic diversity, and potential to serve as an industrial crop for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and functional food industries. In: Watson, R. R. et al., The Role of Functional Food security in Global Health 471-497. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-813148-0.00028-1.
Human foodpulse Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Human foodvegetable Rehm, S. & G. Espig. 1991. The cultivated plants of the tropics and subtropics
Materialsessential oilsused in perfumeryLeung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicinesfolklore Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicinesfolklore Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=40421. Accessed 17 April 2026.