[PDF] Fabaceae

What is a Fabaceae plant?

The Fabaceae ( / f??be?si.i?, - ?a? /) or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, are a large and agriculturally important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit ( legume) and their compound, stipulate leaves.

What are some industrial crops based on Fabaceae?

Some, notably the soybean, are also important industrial crops. Fabaceae contains the more important crop plants, such as soybeans, beans, cowpeas ( Vigna ), pigeon peas ( Cajanus cajan ), chick-peas ( Cicer arietinum ), lentils ( Lens culinaris ), peas ( Pisum sativum ), and peanuts.

Do Fabaceae have a hypanthium or gynophore?

The flowers have a short hypanthium and a single carpel with a short gynophore, and after fertilization produce fruits that are legumes. The Fabaceae have a wide variety of growth forms, including trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, and even vines or lianas.

How many years ago did Fabaceae diversify?

Therefore, the Fabaceae started their diversification approximately 60 million years ago and the most important clades separated 50 million years ago. The age of the main Cesalpinioideae clades have been estimated as between 56 and 34 million years and the basal group of the Mimosoideae as 44 ± 2.6 million years.