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Fabaceae - Bean Family
by Jingshuang Ma
Not peer reviewed
Last modified: 06/15/2006
Key to the genera of Fabaceae
1. Twining woody or woody-to-herbaceous climbers...12
1.
Shrubs or trees, not climbing...2
2. Leaves once- or twice-pinnately compound with more than 3
leaflets...7
2. Leaves simple or trifoliate...3
3. Trees; leaves simple, broadly cordate...Cercis
3. Shrubs; leaves not as
above...4
4. Branches green, plants not spiny...6
4.
Branches not green, or if green then plant spiny...5
5. Leaves trifoliolate; flowers purple to white...Lespedeza
5. Leaves reduced to spine-like
petioles; flowers yellow...Ulex
6. Branches prominently 4-angled, vivid green, and often naked
above; leaves trifoliate or often with one terminal leaflet...Cytisus
6. Branches terete,
striate, leafy to summit; leaves simple...Genista
7. Trees or shrubs; all leaves once-pinnately compound with a
terminal leaflet...10
7. Trees; all or at least some
leaves twice-pinnately compound, with or without a terminal leaflet...8
8. Leaves up to 1 m long, with a terminal leaflet; leaflets
(pinnules) 3-8 cm long, ovate, acuminate; pods with thick, woody valves...Gymnoclados
8. Leaves up to 50 cm long,
without a terminal leaflet; leaflets (pinnules) 1-3 cm long, inequilateral,
mucronate; pods flat, thin-valved...9
9. Leaflet (pinnule) margins serrate; stout thorns sometimes
present...Gleditsia
9. Leaflet (pinnule)
margins entire; thorns never present...Albizia
10. Leaflets emarginate; stipellules lacking; pods
inflated...Colutea
10. Leaflets not
emarginate; stipellules present; pods not inflated...11
11. Leaflets with minute dots beneath; pods with large
resinous dots...Amorpha
11. Leaflets and
pods without dots...Robinia
12. Leaves trifoliate...Pueraria
12. Leaves pinnately
compound with more than 3 leaflets...Wisteria
List of Fabaceae genera
- Albizia
- Amorpha
- Amphicarpaea
- Anthyllis
- Apios
- Astragalus
- Baptisia
- Caragana
- Cercis
- Chamaecrista
- Clitoria
- Colutea
- Crotalaria
- Cytisus
- Galactia
- Genista
- Gleditsia
- Glycyrrhiza
- Gymnocladus
- Lablab
- Lathyrus
- Lespedeza
- Lotus
- Lupinus
- Medicago
- Melilotus
- Ononis
- Ornithopus
- Phaseolus
- Pueraria
- Robinia
- Securigera
- Senna
- Strophostyles
- Stylosanthes
- Styphnolobium
- Tephrosia
- Thermopsis
- Trifolium
- Ulex
- Vicia
- Wisteria