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Fabaceae subfamilies

Seed key to *three subfamilies of Fabaceae

1. ..Hilum split longitudinally (the faboid split), except flattened seeds; tracheid bar present in subhilar tissue; pleurogram absent; embryonic axis usually deflexed so that radicle nearly parallel to cotyledons or radicle once coiled; radicle not concealed by cotyledons.....Faboideae

......Hilum without longitudinal split; tracheid bar absent from subhilar tissue; pleurogram present or absent; embryonic axis usually straight, rarely deflexed, thus radicle rarely parallel to cotyledons; radicle either concealed or exposed.....2

2... Pleurogram usually present; radicle straight or at most slightly deflexed and tip not near cotyledons, either concealed or partially concealed by cotyledons or cotyledons notched and radicle exposed.....Mimosoideae

.......Pleurogram usually absent; radicle straight to deflexed and not concealed by cotyledons.....Caesalpinioideae

*Six subfamilies are now recognized (Legume Phylogeny Working Group 2017Legume Phylogeny Working Group 2017:
Legume Phylogeny Working Group. 2017. A new subfamily classification of the Leguminosae based on a taxonomically comprehensive phylogeny. Taxon 66: 44-77.). Future editions will update this key, the subfamily pages, and the taxonomy sections of each fact sheet to reflect the current classification.

Fabaceae subfamilies