The Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family
Legume, Pea and Bean Family
The Fabaceae or Leguminosae Family is the 3rd largest plant family world-wide. They are commonly known as the legume, pea or bean family. This is one of only a few families with two acceptable scientific family names; Fabaceae and Leguminosae.
In North America there are 245 genera with over 3,800 accepted taxa overall. The Plant List includes 24,505 accepted species names and a further 11,633 scientific plant names of infraspecific rank for the family Leguminosae.
The Fabaceae is a large and economically important family with representative growth forms that include trees, shrubs, perennial and annual species. The family is easy to identify by their flowers, fruit (legume) and leaves (compound); 3 significant taxonomic characteristics.
The family includes 3 subfamilies as follows:
Caesalpinioideae; Also known as the Peacock Flower family.
Faboideae; 2 acceptable alternative names, Papilionoideae or Papilionaceae.
Mimosoideae; flowers with small petals and numerous prominent stamens.
The 5 largest genera in this family include Astragalus; (2,481 species), Acacia; (1,380 species), Indigofera; (665 species), Crotalaria; (698 species) and Mimosa; (618 species).
Important agricultural and food plants include; Soybeans, Peas, Chickpeas, Alfalfa, Peanuts, Sweet Peas and Lupines.
- Species in Subfamily Caesalpinioideae
- Senna bauhinioides, Twinleaf Senna
- Senna covesii, Coves' Cassia
- Senna hirsuta v glaberrima, Woolly Senna
- Senna purpusii, Baja California Senna
- Parkinsonia aculeata, Jerusalem Thorn
- Parkinsonia florida, Blue Paloverde
- Parkinsonia microphylla, Yellow Paloverde
- Species in Subfamily Faboideae
- Acacia angustissima, White-ball Acacia
- Acacia constricta, Whitethorn Acacia
- Acacia farnesiana, Sweet Acacia
- Acacia greggii, Catclaw Acacia
- Astragalus arizonicus, Arizona Milkvetch
- Astragalus didymocarpus, Dwarf White Milkvetch
- Astragalus tephrodes, Ashen Milkvetch
- Calliandra californica, Baja Fairy Duster
- Calliandra eriophylla, Fairyduster
- Coursetia glandulosa, Rosary Babybonnets
- Crotalaria pumila, Low Rattlebox
- Dalea albiflora, Whiteflower Prairie Clover
- Dalea formosa, Indigobush
- Dalea mollissima, Soft Prairie Clover
- Erythrina flabelliformis, Coralbean
- Eysenhardtia orthocarpa, Tahitian Kidneywood (added 04/12/2017)
- Hoffmannseggia glauca, Indian Rushpea (added 04/12/2017)
- Hoffmannseggia microphylla, Wand Holdback
- Lotus corniculatus, Bird's Foot Trefoil
- Lotus humistratus, Foothill Deervetch
- Lotus rigidus, Shrubby Deervetch
- Lotus salsuginosus, Coastal Bird's-foot Trefoil
- Lotus wrightii, Wright's Deervetch
- Lupinus arizonicus, Arizona Lupine
- Lupinus concinnus, Bajada Lupine
- Lupinus hillii, Hill's Lupine
- Lupinus sparsiflorus, Coulter's Lupine
- Macroptilium gibbosifolium, Variableleaf Bushbean
- Marina parryi, Parry's False Prairie-clover
- Medicago sativa, Alfalfa
- Melilotus indicus, Annual Yellow Sweetclover
- Melilotus officinalis, Yellow Sweetclover
- Olneya tesota, Desert Ironwood
- Pediomelum mephiticum, Skunktop
- Phaseolus filiformis, Slimjim Bean
- Psorothamnus schottii, Schott's Dalea (added 02/14/2017)
- Psorothamnus spinosus, Smoketree (added 02/14/2017)
- Robinia neomexicana, New Mexico Locust
- Sesbania herbacea, Bigpod Sesbania
- Thermopsis divaricarpa, Spreadfruit Goldenbanner
- Trifolium willdenovii, Tomcat Clover
- Vicia americana, American Deervetch
- Species in Subfamily Mimosoideae
- Desmanthus cooleyi, Cooley's Bundleflower
- Desmodium batocaulon, San Pedro Ticktrefoil
- Mimosa aculeaticarpa biuncifera, Catclaw Mimosa
- Mimosa dysocarpa, Velvetpod Mimosa
- Prosopis juliflora var. torreyana, Western Honey Mesquite
- Prosopis pubescens, Screw Bean Mesquite