Leguminosae

Leguminosae or Fabaceae is a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the legume family, pea family, bean family, or pulse family. The group is the third-largest land plant family, with 751 genera and nearly 20,000 known species.

Description

Leguminosae is characterized by its fruit, typically called a legume. The family is widely distributed, and is the second-largest family of flowering plants in terms of the number of species. The plants are frequently aromatic in all parts and include many widely used culinary herbs, such as fenugreek, licorice, tamarind and many others.

Taxonomy

The Leguminosae family is divided into three subfamilies:

• Faboideae
• Caesalpinioideae
• Mimosoideae

Economic importance

Leguminosae is of great economic importance, providing food, fodder, timber, medicines, and many other useful products. Some species are used as ornamental plants, and many species have nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules, which makes them important for improving soil fertility.

See also

• List of Fabaceae genera
• List of legume dishes

External links

• Britannica: Fabaceae
• NCBI Taxonomy Browser: Fabaceae

Leguminosae Resources
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