APPENDIX 1
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUBFAMILIES OF LEGUMES (AFTER PURSEGLOVE
1978)
Caesalpinioideae
This subfamily has 152 genera and nearly 2,800 spp. of trees and
shrubs, rarely herbs, mostly tropical and subtropical and most
numerous in tropical America.
Lvs. nearly always alternate,
pinnate or bipinnate; stipules paired, mostly deciduous; stipels
mostly absent.
Fls. zygomorphic, often showy, usually
hermaphrodite; sepals 5 or 4 by union of 2 upper sepals, mostly
free, sometimes much reduced when 2 bracteoles which are large
and calyx-like cover bud; petals 5 or fewer with upper petal
innermost in bud; stamens 10 or fewer, free to variously connate,
dehiscing lengthwise or by terminal pore; ovary superior,
1-locular, 1-many ovules, style simple.
indehiscent and drupaceous.
Fr. a legume or
Seeds sometimes arillate, rarely
with endosperm.
Mimosoideae
This subfamily has 56 genera and about 2,800 spp. of trees and
shrubs, very rarely herbs, mainly confined to the tropics and
subtropics and more numerous in the southern hemisphere.
Lvs.
usually bipinnate, rarely once pinnate, sometimes reduced to
phyllodes; stipules present, sometimes spinelike.
Fls.
actinomorphic, small, usually sessile and massed in cylindrical
spikes or globose heads; sepals usually 5, mostly valvate and
united to form a toothed or lobed calyx; petals same number as
sepals, valvate, free or connate; stamens often numerous, free or
monadelphous; anthers small, versatile, often with apical gland,
dehiscing longitudinally; ovary 1-locular superior, style usually
filiform, stigma small and terminal.
Fr. dehiscent or
indehiscent, sometimes a lomentum.
Papilionoideae
According to the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature,
it would appear that the correct name for this subfamily is
either Faboideae or Lotoideae.
It is sometimes designated
Papilionatae.
This subfamily has about 480 genera and 12,000 spp. of trees,
shrubs, herbs, and climbers, generally distributed throughout the
world, with the more primitive woody genera mostly in the tropics
and the more advanced herbaceous genera more common in the
temperate regions.
Due to the very distinctive structure of the
flower, members of this subfamily are very homogeneous and easy
to recognize.
Lvs. usually alternate and mostly compound, pinnate, trifoliate
or digitate; stipulate; stipules often present at base of
individual leaflets.
Fls. zygomorphic and typically
papilionaceous; mostly hermaphrodite; calyx tubular and usually
5-toothed; petals 5, imbricate with descending aestivation; upper
(adaxial) petal exterior, usually largest, forming standard
(vexillum); 2 lateral petals more or less parallel with each
other forming wings (alae); and lowest 2 petals interior, usually
joined by lower margins, to form keel (carina), which enclosed
stamens and ovary.
Stamens usually 10, monadelphous (all united
by filaments) or diadelphous with 9 united by filaments and with
upper or vexillary stamen free; rarely all stamens free; mostly
all perfect; anthers 2-locullar, usually dehiscing lengthwise by
slits.
Ovary superior, of 1 carpel, usually 1-locular, sometimes
with false septa; ovules 1-many on ventral suture.
Fr. usually a
legume or pod, splitting along dorsal or ventral sutures or both;
sometimes indehiscent; occasionally jointed and breaking into
1-seeded segments.
Seeds usually without endosperm.
Figure A.1.
Subfamily Papilionoideae. 1. Front view of flower of
Pisum sativum (pea); 2. petals of P. sativum; 3. flower of
Psophocarpus tetragonolobus (winged bean) from below; 4. flower
of Psophocarpus tetragonolobus in longitudinal section.
a-posterior or standard petal; b-lateral petal; c-keel petals
(carina); d-sepals; e-stigma; f-style; g-anther; h-filament;
i-ovary wall; j-ovule.
Figure A.2.
Subfamily Caesalpinoideae.
1. bud of Cassia sp; 2.
flower of Cassia sp; and 3. longitudinal section through flower
of Delonix regia (Flame of the Forest of Poinciana). a-petal;
b-sepal; c-stigma; d-style; e-filament; f-anther; g-anther of
staminoid; h-posterior or standard petal; i-ovary wall; j-ovule.
Figure A.3.
Subfamily Mimosoideae.
1. Floret of Adenanthera
pavonina; 2. inflorescence (globose head) of Leucaena
leucocephala in longitudinal section showing arrangement of
florets on torus; 3. floret of L. leucocephala (side view); 4.
floret of L. leucocephala (top view). a-petal; b-sepal; c-stigma;
d-anther; e-filament; f-style; g-ovary.
Figure A.4.
Legume pods.
1. Strongylodon lucidus; 2. Tamarindus
indica; 3. Acacia farnesiana; 4 Parkinsonia aculeata; 5. Prosopis
pallida; 6. Lablab purpureus; 7. Pisum sativum; 8. Psophocarpus
tetragonolobus; 9. Arachis hypogaea; 10. cicer arietinum; 11.
Leucaena leucocephala.
Figure A.5.
Leaves of legumes and associated structures.
Leaf
shapes: 1. oblong; 2. cuneate; 3 cordate; 4. linear; 5.
lanceolate; 6. ovate; 7. oval.
Leaf arrangements: 8. bi-pinnate;
9. pinnate; 10. palmate; 11. simple; 12. trifoliate; 13. branch
of Pisum showing 5-branched tendril (a) and stipule (b); 14.
bi-pinnate leaf showing position of pulvinus (c); 15. Acacia
seedling showing simple phytolodes (d), and true compound leaves
(e).
Figure A.6.
Some representative shapes of leguminous nodules.
Spherical: a. globose and streaked, e.g., Glycine max,
Calopogonium, and Vigna radiata; b. peanut (Arachis hopogaea); c.
semi-globose with smooth surface, e.g., Vigna unguiculata and
Psophocarpus.
Finger-like forms: d. elongate and lobed, e.g.,
Leucaena and Mimosa.
and Calliandra.
Fanshaped: e. coralloid, e.g., Crotalaria
Figure A.7.
Some examples of nodule distribution on roots.
1.
prolific tap-root nodulation; 2. occasional nodules on laternal
roots and distant from the tap-root; 3. large number of small
nodules; 4. small number of large nodules.