Fabaceae subfamily Caesalpinioideae - Legume family

Trees or shrubs, less often climbers or herbs. Leaves usually 1-pinnate, less often simple or 2-pinnate. Inflorescences usually of spikes or panicles of racemes, rarely of spikes or capitate; racemes sometimes condensed to umbel-like fascicles. Flowers usually ± zygomorphic. Sepals usually free, sometimes ± connate. Petals imbricate in bud, usually with the dorsal within and overlapped by the lateral, free or sometimes connate below, usually 5, sometimes reduced to 1 or 0. Stamens usually 10 or fewer (rarely numerous), free or ± connate below. Pods various. Seeds generally without areoles.

Comment: Nowadays combined with the subfamilies Papilionoideae and Mimosoideae into the large family FABACEAE or LEGUMINOSAE. However, as all three are extensive and distinctive groups, it is still preferred to deal with them in separate lists.

Worldwide: 153 genera and 2,175 species, mostly tropical.

Zimbabwe: 25 genera and 76 taxa.