Fabaceae family

 Fabaceae This family was earlier known as Papilionoideae. The members of this family are commonly called legumes or pulses and the family contains some of our most valuable food crops. 

Vegetative Characters

 Habit: Plants are herbs, shrubs, trees or climbers. 

Root: Tap root system, much branched and with bacterial nodules.

 Stem: Erect or twin, branched and angular or cylindrical Leaves: Normally compound, usually trifoliate, modified partly or wholly into tendril with pulvinate leaf base.

 Floral Characters Inflorescence: Usually a raceme, rarely solitary axillary. 

Flowers: Pedicellate, zygomorphic, hermaphrodite and complete. 

Calyx: Sepals five, gamosepalous, imbricate aestivation. 

Corolla: Petals five, polypetalous, the posterior one large and outermost, the next two lateral ones (wings) and two anterior and innermost ones united (keel or carina), aestivation descending imbricate.

 Androecium: Stamens ten, diadelphous (9+1), introse, basifixed and dithecous. 

Gynoecium: Monocarpellary, ovary superior, placentation marginal with many ovules, style long slightly bent at the apex, flattened, stigma simple or capitate. Fruit: Legume, indehiscent; seed: exalbuminous with large embryo. 

Economic Importance The family provides various types of pulses, medicines, fibres, timbers, dyes and plants for gardens. 1. The fruits and seeds of gram (Cicer arietinum), pea (Pisum sativum), arhar (Cajanus cajan), sem (Dolichos lablab), moong (Phaseolus radiatus), soyabean (Glycine max) are rich in protein, and are used as vegetables and pulses. 2. The edible, oily seed of groundnut (Arachis hypogea) are used for food and as a source of oil. 3. The fresh juice of ratti (Abrus precatorius) leaves is said to be useful in leucoderma. Seeds of this plant have remarkably uniform weight. Seeds of Abrus precatorius were used by goldsmiths as standard weights for weighing gold and silver in previous time. 4. Muliathi (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is considered demulcent (soothing to irritated membranes), expectorant (loosening and helping to expel congestion in the upper respiratory tract), and stimulates mucous secretions of the trachea. 5. The juice of ‘agast’ (Sesbania grandiflora) flowers is believed to be beneficial in improving eyesight. 6. Sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) yields fibres, which are used for making twine and cord, mat, canvas, nets, sacks, etc. 7. Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and Indian rosewood (D. latifolia) yield a dye. 8. The plants of Lathyrus, Clitoria, Sesbania, and Erythrina (Indian coral tree) are grown for ornamental purposes.