| Classification |
| Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order Type: Eudicots-Rosids I
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Family Common Name: Bean Family
Genera: Cercis, Glycyrrhiza, Lathyrus, Lupinus, Maackia, Senna,
Thermopsis, Wisteria |
Defining Features: The family
has a characteristically unique floral structure consisting of the banner
or standard, wings and keel. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are commonly associated
with the root nodules. The family includes the Cercideae, Caesalpinioideae,
Faboideae and the Mimosoideae as subfamilies. Almost 10% of eudicots are
in this family (third largest family of angiosperms).
Defining Morphology: Floral
Features: Flowers are often zygomorphic, bisexual with a cup-shaped hypanthium.
Inflorescences are often indeterminate as a head, raceme or spike. Corolla
as uppermost petals fused to form the standard or banner, the lateral petals
as wings and the lower petals fused into a keel and enclosing the androecium
and gynoecium. Ovaries are superior with lateral placentation. Fruit and
Seed Features: Dicotyledon. Fruit a legume, either dry or fleshy or a loment,
follicle, achene, drupe or berry. Seed has a hard coat. Endosperm is minimal
or lacking. Vegetative Features: Habit as herbs, shrubs, trees or lianas.
Leaves are simple or bipinnate to pinnately or palmately compound (leaflets
often have wrinkled pulvini) and alternate (rarely opposite). Sometimes
tendrils are present. Stipules or spines are present. Leaf axis and leaflets
usually showing sleep movements (Mimosa pudica).
Distribution: Cosmopolitan.
Economic Use: Highly important
agriculturally as peanut, lentil, licorice, chickpea, bean, common pea
and soybean. Timber or wood, which is very resistant to decay. Also being
used for livestock as alfalfa and clovers. Many are ornamental garden species.
This family is second to poaceae in economic value.
Number of Genera Globally: 630
Number of Species Globally:
18,000
