Fabaceae

Plant Sex: Flowers bisexual.

Flowers: Zygomorphic, papilionaceous. Hypanthium sometimes present. Sepals connate, petals free. The banner (standard) petal outside the lateral (wing) petals, the two lower petals fused into a KEEL. Stamens diadelphous (rarely free or monadelphous).

Inflorescence: Racemes, spikes or heads.

Fruits: Diverse legumes including loments.

Habit: Mostly herbs, some trees and shrubs; Found in temperate, subtropical, and tropical habitats.

Leaves: Usually pinnately compound, rarely simple, stipulate.

Examples:
Food
Arachis

A. hypogaea (peanut, groundnut). Plant in flower. Fruits.

Glycine

G. max (soybean). Flowering shoot. Flower dissected showing diadelphous stamens. Plants with ripe fruits. soybeans in hand.

Lupinus

L. mutabilis (tarwi). Seeds of this Andean species are very nutritious.

Phaseolus

P. vulgaris (green, kidney bean). Bean plant in flower. A variety of legumes, many of which are Phaseolus species and cultivars.

Pisum

P. sativum (garden, sugar, and snow pea). Plant in flower. Fruit of snow pea.

Forage Crops
Medicago

M. sativa (alfalfa). Flowering shoot. Flowers.

Trifolium

T. pratense (clover). Leaf base showing stipules. Inflorescence. Flowers.

Ornamentals
Lathyrus

L. latifolius (sweet pea). Flowering plants. Inflorescence. Flower L.S.

Wisteria

W. floribunda (wisteria). Flowering vine.

Wildflowers & Trees
Baptisia

B. leucophaea (false indigo). Habit of plant. Androecium dissected from flower showing ten free stamens.
B. autralis. Habit of plant. Flowers of B. australis (left), B. leucophaea (right), and hybrid (middle).

Desmodium

D. canescens (tick trefoil). Flowering shoots. Flowers and loments.
D. canadense. Fruits (loments). Close-up of loment showing trichomes.

Lupinus

L. perennis (lupine). Habit of plant in flower. Flowers. Infructescence.

Robinia

R. pseudoacacia (black locust). Habit of tree in flower. Flowering shoot.
R. ambigua. Flowers. Flower L.S.

Weeds
Pueraria

P. lobata (kudzu). Flowering vine. Inflorescence. Habit devastated by kudzu.

SIUC / College of Science / Elements of Plant Systematics
URL: http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/PLB304/Lecture17Fabal/Fabaceae.html
Last updated: 21-Mar-08 / dln