# Soybean (*Glycine max*)

Soybeans are small, round beans that grow in pods on soybean plants. They are a healthy food that can be turned into tofu, milk, or cooked and eaten in many dishes.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 1
- **Habitat:** Farms
- **Also known as:** Edamame, Soja

![Soybean](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Soybean.USDA.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soybean.USDA.jpg)

## Appearance

The Soybean has hairy stems and leaves, typically forming an upright, bushy plant. It produces small, delicate pea-like flowers, which can be purple or white. Its most recognizable feature is the fuzzy, green pods that grow in clusters, each containing two to five beans.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Fabales
- **Family:** Fabaceae
- **Genus:** Glycine

## Interesting facts

- Each fuzzy pod can hide up to five healthy, protein-packed beans!
- Soybeans are ancient, cultivated for thousands of years in Asia!
- Soybeans are even used to make crayons, plastics, and eco-friendly car parts!
- They contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a 'complete protein'!

## Special abilities

- **Nitrogen Magic:** Soybean can pull nitrogen gas from the air and turn it into food for itself, enriching the soil for other plants too!
- **Self-Seeder:** Soybean has tiny flowers that can fertilize themselves, making sure new seeds are always made without needing help from others.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-100 cm
- **Spread:** 20-40 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Self

## Ecological connections

- **Symbiotic with:** Soybean nodule bacteria (*Bradyrhizobium japonicum*) — helps fix nitrogen from the air
- **Eaten by:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — a major food source worldwide
- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar

## Traits

- [Nitrogen Fixing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nitrogen-fixing): Describes organisms capable of converting atmospheric nitrogen into compounds usable by plants.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Grain Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grain-crop): This human use trait denotes species cultivated as grain crops, harvested for their edible dry seeds (grains), which are a staple food source.
- [Oil Crop](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/oil-crop): This human use trait identifies species cultivated as oil crops, harvested for their seeds or fruits from which vegetable oils are extracted for food, fuel, or industrial uses.
- [Agricultural](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/agricultural): This human use trait describes species cultivated or domesticated by humans for agricultural purposes, including crops and livestock.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Soybeans are safe to touch and eat when prepared by adults.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Soybean?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Soybean?

30-100 cm

### How wide does Soybean spread?

20-40 cm

### How big are the flowers on Soybean?

0.5-1 cm

### When does Soybean bloom?

Summer

### Is Soybean edible?

Yes

### Is Soybean toxic?

None

### What is Soybean's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [Fort Buford](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-buford) — North Dakota, US · Historic Site
- [Botanischer Volkspark Blankenfelde-Pankow](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/botanischer-volkspark-blankenfelde-berlin) — Berlin, DE · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Soybean: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/soybean)