Pronunciation key ( fə bā′shə ) |
fa•ba•cea
[L. fabaceus < faba a bean].
Of the pea family of plants.
Fabales.
One of the largest orders of flowering plants. This order includes numerous species which provide important sources of food for humans and animals, such as alfalfa and clover, as well as beans, peanuts and peas.
 Cassia chamaecrista is regarded as a synonym, or invalid name for the species. Presently, the term designated on itis.gov is Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata. |
Chamaecrista fasciculata var. fasciculata (Michx.) Greene, Taxonomic Serial No.: 566216 |
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Many of these species also benefit the environment in that they have the capacity in conjunction with appropriate micro-organisms to convert biologically inert nitrogen in the atmosphere into nitrates, which form is metabolized by plants. While some other species possess this capability, the order Fabales is responsible for the majority of biological recycling. That factor, together with the high nutrient value of grazing plants, species are often incorporated in routine crop rotation practices.
Arthroclianthus andersonii (From New Caledonia) |
 Cedrelingia cateniformis, (Common to Brazil) According to Cedrelinga catenaeformis its common name is Tornillo (Peru), Lacaica, Parica, Yacayaca (Brazil). The name can not currently be verified through the itis database. |
General Characteristics
This order is distributed worldwide and exhibits the greatest diversity of morphological types in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Some species are the dominant varieties found among trees in the lands of the tropical African savanna, South America and Asia.
 Traditionally named Pithecellobium auaremotemo, (Common to Brazil) According to Taxon: Pithecellobium auaremotemo Mart. is a synonym of Abarema cochliacarpos (Gomes) Barneby & J. W. Grimes, of the Genus: Pithecellobium |
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They come in abundance of small trees and shrubs in drier subtropic ecosystems of Africa, America and Australia.
 Vicia americana Floral and vegetative structures Drawing by M. Pahl. |
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In more temperate climates the order is predominantly herbaceous and most species belong to the family Fabaceae which contains cash crops such as peanuts and ground nuts; Arachis hypogaea (Peanuts), Cicer arietinum (chick peas), Glycine max (soybeans), Lens culinaris (lentils), alfalfa or lucerne (Medicago sativa), sweet clover, mung beans, kidney beans, peas, clovers, vetches and cowpeas.
 Mimosa grahamii |
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Along with food crops, Fabales are well-known for shade and ornamental species, although some of the more rapid growing weed species are widely used for fodder crops. In South Africa and Australia Acacia species are widely used in production of gum exudate and wood.
Entada is a recognized genus on itis.gov. However, the status of this particular name remains an unknown. |
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The order Fabales is a predominantly woody group, the more advanced herbaceous plant groups, characteristic of temperate climates, evolved from such tropical, wooded ancestors. Species of the order are abundant on all continents except Antarctica. They occur as trees, shrubs, vines, annuals and even though more rare, floating aquatics. Such an example is Neptunia oleracea or Garden Puff, a member of the family Mimosaceae which attaches to the bottoms of shallow lakes in India, and is used as an edible vegetable.
This species checks out on itis.gov. with common name: Monkeysoap |
Enterolobium cyclocarpum, (Jacq.) Griseb., Taxonomic Serial No.: 502307 |
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Bizarre species are abundant in the savanna and semi-desert areas in western Australia most of which belong to Podalyria, of the family Fabaceae and believed the oddities stem from long isolation from the flora of Asia.
Best known for its fruit, the Order Fabales and often referred to as the Leguminales order, because its fruit, a legume, is the single most-notable characteristic the group is recognized for. A legume is a single-chamber, two-valve seed pod with placentation such as occurs with the common pea Pisum sativum.
Traditionally named Cathormiom altissimum, (Common to Tropical Africa), according to USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Germplasm Resources Information Network, it is a synonym of Albizia altissima. |
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Legumes take a variety of shapes and forms, however, samaras are single-seeded, winged, indehiscent (does not split along a seam), pods and loments (multi-seeded, indehiscent pods, constricted between seeds and upon maturity break off, separate with capacity to reproduce. Of the more unusual legumes is that of the peanut, a fruit that matures underground. The flower of the peanut plant is above ground but with age it assumes a position closer to the soil surface so the ovary can elongate and develop as a subterranean pod.
Seeds borne within various legumes types are variegated, ranging from the size of a pin's head (such as Lotus species) to the size of a baseball (Mora excelsa). Legume seeds can be colorful such as Abrus precatorius. Some seeds have been used for a variety of purposes, including use as currency by primitive people and in the production of beads and handbags due to their abnormal hard coat. Some are poisonous if eaten.
Prosopis strombulifera is listed as an accepted, verified name with itis.gov. |
Prosopis strombulifera, (Lam.) Benth.,Taxonomic Serial No.: 504621 |
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Natural History and Evolution
The large worldwide distribution of this order is a result of its early dispersion throughout the tropics and later adaptations to more temperate habitats. Effective dispersal of seeds is achieved by the vastly variegated seed pods and by largely self-pollinated flowers found among many of the more advanced groups of the family Fabaceae. Seed coats are typically hard and can withstand water which allows the seed to survive longer exposure to the elements. Some seeds from the genus Cassia have been known to germinate after having been in dry storage for up to 200 years.
Other reproductive specializations include cross-pollination, cleistogamy (self-pollination), and vegetative reproduction (asexual).
Traditionally named Acacia arabica common in (Asia) but is no longer the valid scientific name for this species. The corrected name given by itis.gov is Vachellia nilotica (L.) P.J.H. Hurter & Mabb. |
Vachellia nilotica, (L.) P.J.H. Hurter & Mabb., Taxonomic Serial No.: 819931 |
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One adaptation in a few of the more tropical species is that of myrmecophilism, in which vegetative specializations have been developed to accommodate ants. Two such features are secretory glands on the leaves which are used by ants for feeding purposes and very large thorns on the stems in which they live.
Specialists believe that by living off the excretory products of the plant, the ants provide protection against potential leaf-eaters like aphids, grasshoppers and larger grazing animals.
The dispersal of pollen is primarily provided by insects, namely bees. Other means of pollination occur, and in one instance tropical fruit bats are the principal pollinator (Parkia).
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Distinguishing Characteristics
Some members of the order are sensitive to touch, temperature, and light changes. Touching the "sensitive plant" or "shame plant" results in very rapid movements of the whole or part of the leaf, (Mimosa pudica) is often cultivated due to this effect. Many of the species of this order have similar characteristics. The Mimosa tree Albizia julibrissin, also known as a powderpuff or silk tree, folds its leaflets at dusk, decreasing the amount of exposure to the elements. The adaptive significance is unknown, but the movements itself is caused by changes in water pressure at the base of both the leafstalks (petioles) and leaflets.
The single floral feature most characteristic of the entire order is the hypanthium, a structure which is formed by fusion at the base of the sepals, petals and stamens which form a cup about the base of the ovary. With the exception of this characteristic floral types are variegated, with flowers that range from regular to irregular. Flowers of the family Caesalpiniaceae are somewhat intermediate between the extremes.
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The petals, which are uniformly five in nearly all species are characteristically modified into a so-called papilionaceous (butterfly-like) flower, the upper petal (called the banner) is usually enlarged and more colorful than other petals. The two lateral petals are wing-like structures and are termed "Wings". The two basal petals are united near the middle to form a boat shaped structure called the keel.
The stamens, or male reproductive structure, usually 10 in number are also highly modified in this family. They are joined in a single, tubular structure which is called "monadelphous" or more often into a set of nine united stamens that reside in the keel plus a separate stamen that stands above the other nine and just below the banner itself. The latter is termed "diadelphous". Some possess free stamens and separate keel petals.
Pollen grains in the order are quite distinctive and have proven of value in defining many of the classifications in several of the families. The fruiting structures within the order, while uniformly derived from a single carpel or ovary, are variegated in size, shape, texture and range from herbaceous coiled, bristly fruits to the elongate (up to several feet in length) woody pods.
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Classification according to Encyclopedia of Life, Pterogyne nitens. A final accessment can not be determined through itis.gov at this time. |
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Many species are known well for neutralizing nitrogen that is, to convert it into a form that plants can utilize such as the nitrate form. This is accomplished by symbiotic fixation. The root nodules (swelling) is formed on the plant in reaction to an infection caused by soil, a bacteria in the genus Rhizobium. Root nodulation occurs in all three families, however presumably does not occur in all species. The phenomena is more common in the family Fabaceae.
Additional information on the species is available at |
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In the leaves and fruits of the Fabales order there are a large range of secondary compounds that are noteworthy which include flavanoids, alkaloids, terpenoids non-protein amino acids, among others.
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More information
No current information was found on itis.gov to verify validation of the current name. |
The scientific name Cyclocarpa stellaris, (From Africa) can not be verified through the itis.gov database, however the following provide information on this species.
Cyclolobium claussenii, (From Brazil) |
The toxic chemical compound rotenone is abundant in roots and stems of some species. Primitive people sometimes used these plants for fish kills. Another example is that some alkaloids are concentrated in species belonging to the genus Astragalus and have been found to poison to livestock, commonly referred to as "loco weeds," by cattlemen in North America. Following heavy consumption, livestock seem to "go loco" and become unmanageable.
Though many species contain toxins, most plants are palatable and nutritious due to high concentrations of vitamins and proteins.
Traditionally its scientific name has been Millettia dielsiana (Found in China). Though the scientific name is presently not represented in the itis database, the genus is. Therefore it is presented with available information. |
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Except for the soybean and peanut, species are not especially noted for the oil content of the seeds. Most seeds contain only about 10 percent oil content by weight. The fat content of many legumes for consumption by humans is only between 1 and 2 percent. Legume seeds generally are highest in nutritive content in carbohydrates vs. protein and fat.
 Colutea arborescens, (From Europe and Orient) |
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Traditional Classification
Traditionally the order Fabales was divisible into three families or subfamilies.
- Caesalpiniaceae (not accepted by itis.gov).
- Mimosaceae (not accepted by itis.gov).
- Fabaceae accepted by itis.gov.
Today, the order Fabales is divided into four families.
- Family Fabaceae – peas, legumes
- Family Polygalaceae – milkworts
- Family Quillajaceae
- Family Surianaceae
| Taxonomic Hierarchy | |
| Kingdom | Plantae – Vegetal, plants |
| Subkingdom | Viridaeplantae – green plants |
| Infrakingdom | Streptophyta – land plants |
| Division | Tracheophyta – vascular plants, tracheophytes |
| Subdivision | Spermatophytina – spermatophytes, seed plants |
| Infradivision | Angiospermae – flowering plants, angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Superorder | Rosanae |
| Order | Fabales |
| Direct Children: | |
| Family | Fabaceae – peas, legumes |
| Family | Polygalaceae – milkworts |
| Family | Quillajaceae |
| Family | Surianaceae |
| Fabales, Taxonomic Serial No.: 500022 | |
The Fabales order was historically treated as consisting of a single family name Leguminosae (not accepted by itis) of the order Rosales (accepted by itis). The family was subdivided into subfamilies. Mismosoideae, Caesalpinioideae, Papilionoideae (sometimes referred to as Faboideae) Kramerioideae. The trend has been to remove the latter subfamily, consisting of a single genus Krameria (valid by itis.gov), to the order Polygalales (not accepted by itis). The three remaining subfamilies are then treated at the family level an members of the order Fabales. The order can be distinguished from Rosales (valid) by the solitary carpel, compound leaves which are often more numerous, united stamens and by the fruit. There is no single character that serves a method to distinguish between Fabales and Rosales but morphological characteristics that distinguish both.
Clearly there is much need to obtain detailed morphological, cytological and chemical analyses of the species for many are poorly known and represented in museums by limited collections and some groups neglected by experts. With chemosystematics (taxonomy based on chemical factors) it is more likely that some of the classifications will be reconsidered.
Traditional scientific name, Centrolobium robustum(From Brazil). The USDA forest service reports, common name: zebrawood. Current standing with ITIS remains an unknown. |
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Fossil Record
There are abundant fossils of the Fabales order dating back to the Early Tertiary Period (Eocene Epoch) beginning about 54 million years ago). Most fossils are similar to present day woody genera. Thus, the order was presumably well developed across several continents, possibly earlier during the Cretaceous period around 136 million years ago.
At that time they had already developed in essentially the same form as those represented living today by extant genera. Fossil materials do not exist that serve to link the order to other orders, consequently most phyletic treatments of the group are based almost entirely on comparative morphological and distributional data among extant species.
Abrus precatorius, (From Tropics) |
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Phylogeny
It is believed the order had its origin in the tropical regions from woody ancestors, the herbaceous species being structurally reduced, but more highly evolved types which arose independently in several phyletic lines presumably adapted to more vigorous climatic conditions that developed during the time of the Tertiary.
 The name, Dolichos bicontortus (From Asia) is not recognized on itis.gov. However the genus is, and presented here as is. |
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References
- Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (College Edition) ©1955
- Fabaceae, Taxonomic Serial No.: 500059
- Encyclopedia Britannica, ©1984
Further Reading
- Nutrition of the Legumes, ©1958 by E.G. Hallsworth
- The Genera of Flowering Plants, ©1964 by J. Hutchinson
- Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien, ©1894
- Legumes in Agriculture, ©1953 by Whyte, Nilsson-Leissner and Trumble
- Chemotaxonomy of the Leguminosae, ©1971 by Harborne, Boulter and Turner
- Drawings by M. Pahl, based on, Evolution and phylogeny of flowering plants: Dicotyledons; facts and theory, with over 550 illustrations and maps by the author
, by J. Hutchinson.
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