No, the lentil plant belongs to the family Leguminosae (legume) and is a cousin to peas.
Lentils grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds that are round, oval or heart-shaped disks and are oftentimes smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser.
They may be sold whole or split into halves with the brown and green varieties being the best at retaining their shape after cooking.
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans, are a food you definitely want to keep on your "digestive support" list—especially if you are focusing on the colon. Between 65-75% of the fiber found in garbanzo beans are insoluble fiber, and this type of fiber remains undigested all the way down to the final segment of your large intestine (colon).
Chickpeas via kwout
Most garbanzo beans found in the grocery (especially canned garbanzos) are cream-colored and relatively round. This type of garbanzo bean is called the "kabuli-type." Worldwide, there's a far more common type of garbanzo bean called the "desi-type."
This second type of garbanzo bean is about half the size of cream-colored type we're accustomed to seeing in the grocery, and it's more irregular in shape.
As per Sparkpeople.com, chickpeas have higher calorie content (286 per serving) than lentils (230 per serving)
Here are some tips on how to prepare and enjoy chickpeas and lentils at Whfoods.com.