Everything about The Fabaceae totally explained
The
Fabaceae or
Leguminosae are 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 name 'Fabaceae' comes from the defunct genus
Faba, now included into
Vicia. 'Leguminosae' is an older name still considered valid according to ICBN Art. 18.5 (Vienna Code) and it refers to the typical fruit of these plants: the
legume.
It is the third largest family of
flowering plants (after
Orchidaceae and
Asteraceae) with 730 genera and over 19,400 species, according to the
Royal Botanical Gardens. The largest genera are
Astragalus (more than 2,000 species),
Acacia (more than 900 species),
Indigofera (700 species),
Crotalaria (600 species),
Mimosa (500 species).
Glycine max (soya bean),
Phaseolus (bean),
Pisum sativum (pea),
Medicago sativa (alfalfa), and
Arachis hypogaea (peanut) are amongst the most well-known Fabaceae.
It is found throughout the world, in many different environments and climates.
Taxonomy
The Fabaceae are placed into the order
Fabales according to most taxonomic systems, including the
APG system.
The Fabaceae comprise three subfamilies (with distribution and some representative species):
These three subfamilies have been alternatively treated at family level, as in the
Cronquist and
Dahlgren systems. However, this choice hasn't been supported by late 20th century and early 21st century evidence which has shown the Caesalpinioideae to be paraphyletic and the Fabaceae
sensu lato to be monophyletic.
The subfamilial name
Papilionoideae for Faboideae is approved by the
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, as is 'Leguminosae' for the Fabaceae
s.l..
While the Mimosoideae and the Faboideae are largely monophyletic, the Caesalpinioideae appear to be paraphyletic and trees such as
carob and
tamarind.
Bloom legume species include species such as
lupin, which are farmed commercially for their blooms as well as being popular in gardens worldwide.
Laburnum,
Robinia,
Gleditsia,
Acacia,
Mimosa, and
Delonix are ornamental
trees and
shrubs.
Industrial farmed legumes include
Indigofera, cultivated for the production of
indigo,
Acacia, for
gum arabic and
Derris for the insecticide action of
rotenone, a compound it produces.
Fallow or
green manure legume species are cultivated to be tilled back into the soil in order exploit the high nitrogen levels found in most legumes. Numerous legumes are farmed for this purpose including
Leucaena,
Cyamopsis and
Sesbania.
Various legume species are farmed for
timber production worldwide including numerous
Acacia species,
Erythroxylum and
Castanospermum australe.
Some plants of this family are important
pests. For example,
Pueraria lobata (kudzu), an east
Asian species originally planted in the U.S. southeast for soil improvement and as a cattle feed, has there become extremely
invasive.
Image gallery
Image:MG 7005.jpg|Acacia baileyana
Image:Indigofera-gerardiana.JPG|Indigofera gerardiana
Image:Lathyrus odoratus 5 ies.jpg|Tendrils of Lathyrus odoratus
Image:Trifolium repens (inflorescense) Edit.jpg|Inflorescence of Trifolium repens
Image:Blauwschokker Kapucijner rijserwt Pisum sativum.jpg|Pisum sativum; note the leaf-like stipules
Image:Arboreus_infl.jpg|Inflorescence of Lupinus arboreus
Image:Alysicarpus_vaginatum.jpg|Loment of Alysicarpus vaginalis
References and sources
Further Information
Get more info on 'Fabaceae'.
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