Leguminosae
Leguminosae
Leguminosae (pronounced: le-gu-mi-no-sae), also known as the Fabaceae family, is a large and economically 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.
Etymology
The name "Leguminosae" is derived from the Latin legumen (meaning "a pod"), referring to the characteristic fruit of these plants.
Description
Members of the Leguminosae family are characterized by their fruit, typically a legume, and their compound, stipulate leaves. The family is widely distributed, and is the third-largest land plant family in terms of number of species, with over 19,000 species described.
Subfamilies
The Leguminosae family is divided into three subfamilies:
- Mimosoideae: This subfamily is characterized by flowers with radial symmetry and petals that are usually small or absent.
- Caesalpinioideae: This subfamily is characterized by flowers with bilateral symmetry and only one petal, which is usually larger and different from the others.
- Faboideae: This subfamily is characterized by flowers with bilateral symmetry and all petals similar in size.
Economic Importance
The Leguminosae family is of great economic and ecological importance. Many species are used for food (e.g., beans, peas, lentils), forage and silage (e.g., clover, alfalfa), and timber. Some species are also used in horticulture.
See Also
References
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Leguminosae
- Wikipedia's article - Leguminosae
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