Family Profile

Fabaceae

Family Description

A family of about 400 genera and 10,000 species, cosmopolitan; about 85-90 genera occur naturally in Australia.

Genera

Abrus - A pantropic genus of about 12 species; one species occurs naturally in Australia. Stanley & Ross (1983).

Aeschynomene - A genus of about 150 species in tropical and warm temperate regions in America, Africa and Asia. Polhill & Raven (1981).

Austrosteenisia - A genus of four species in Australia and perhaps New Guinea; all species occur naturally in Australia. Dixon (1997).

Bossiaea - A genus of about 35-40 species endemic to Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981); Ross (1991); Stanley & Ross (1983).

Cajanus - A genus of about 35-40 species mainly in Asia, Malesia and Australia with one species in Africa; about 20 species occur naturally in Australia. Hnatiuk (1990); Polhill & Raven (1981).

Callerya - A genus of 19 species in Asia, SE Asia, Malesia and Australia; five species occur naturally in Australia. Schot (1994).

Calopogonium - A genus of eight species in the Americas; one species has become naturalised in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Canavalia - A genus of more than 50 species, pantropic, mainly in the Americas; four species occur naturally in Australia and one species has become naturalised. Hacker (1990); Verdcourt (1979).

Castanospermum - A monotypic genus in Australia, New Caledonia and Vanuatu. Francis (1970).

Centrosema - A genus of 40-50 species in tropical America; two species have become naturalised in Australia. Hacker (1990); Verdcourt (1979).

Clitoria - A pantropic genus of about 40 species. Stanley & Ross (1983). Two species now occur in Australia, one may be a natural occurrence.

Crotalaria - A genus of about 600 species, pantropic but also in the subtropics particularly in the southern hemisphere, very numerous in tropical Africa; 36 species occur naturally in Australia and 16-17 species have become naturalised. Holland (2002); Polhill & Raven (1981); Stanley & Ross (1983).

Dalbergia - A genus of about 100 species, pantropic; two or three species occur naturally in Australia and one species has become naturalised. Hnatiuk (1990); Polhill & Raven (1981); Verdcourt (1979).

Dendrolobium - A genus of 12 species in Africa, Madagascar, Asia, Malesia, Australia and the Pacific islands; two species occur naturally in Australia. Hutchinson (1964); Pedley (1999); Polhill & Raven (1981).

Derris - A genus of about 50 species, pantropic with most species in Asia; about six species occur naturally in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Desmodium - A genus of about 300 species, in the tropics and subtropics with centres of diversity in eastern Asia, Mexico and Brazil; about 30 species occur naturally in Australia and several species have become naturalised. Pedley (1999); Polhill & Raven (1981); Stanley & Ross (1983).

Dioclea - A genus of about 30 species mainly in the Americas but also extending to the tropical areas of Asia, Malesia and Australia; one species occurs naturally in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Erythrina - A genus of about 100 species, pantropic; three species occur naturally in Australia. Krukoff & Barneby (1974).

Galactia - A pantropic genus of about 140 species. Three described species occur naturally in Australia. Stanley & Ross (1983). Three or more undescribed species also occur naturally in Australia.

Glycine - A genus of about 10 species in Africa, Asia and Australia. Stanley & Ross (1983). The number of species recognized in the genus will need to be revised as there are about 10 undescribed species in Queensland. Henderson (1997).

Hardenbergia - A genus of two or three species endemic to Australia.

Hovea - A genus of about 31 species endemic to Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981); Thompson (2001).

Indigofera - A genus of about 700 species in the tropics and subtropics; about 43 species occur naturally in Australia and about 3 species have become naturalised. Polhill & Raven (1981); Stanley & Ross (1983).

Kennedia - A genus of 15 species endemic to Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981).

Macroptilium - A genus of about 20 species from tropical America; two species have become naturalised in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Macrotyloma - A genus of about 24 species in Africa, Asia, Malesia and Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981). One species occurs naturally in Australia.

Millettia - A genus of about 150 species (including the genus Pongamia) in Africa, Asia, Malesia, Australia and the Pacific islands; two species occur naturally in Australia. Bennet (1971); Geesink (1981).

Mucuna - A genus of about 100 species, pantropic; three species occur naturally in Australia and one species has become naturalised. Verdcourt (1979, 1981).

Neonotonia - A monotypic genus in Africa and Asia now naturalised in Australia and New Guinea. Polhill & Raven (1981); Verdcourt (1979).

Ormosia - A genus of about 100 species, pantropic; one species occurs naturally in Australia. Meeuwen (1962).

Pachyrhizus - A genus of four or five species from tropical and subtropical America. Polhill & Raven (1981). One or two species now cultivated and naturalised in various tropical regions. Verdcourt (1979).

Phylacium - A genus of three species in Asia, Malesia and Australia; one species occurs naturally in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Pueraria - A genus of about 15-20 species in Asia and Malesia; two species have become naturalised in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Rhynchosia - A genus of about 200 species, pantropic and also in the subtropics; three or more species occur naturally in Australia. Hacker (1990); Verdcourt (1979).

Sesbania - A genus of about 50 species, pantropic; about ten species occur naturally in Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981); Burbidge (1965).

Sophora - A genus of about 45-50 species, pantropic, mostly in Eurasia and North America; two species occur naturally in Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981).

Strongylodon - A genus of about 15-20 species in Madagascar, Asia, Malesia, Australia and the Pacific islands; one species occurs naturally in Australia. Verdcourt (1979).

Stylosanthes - A genus of about 25-50 species in the tropics and warm temperate regions of the Old and New World; four or five species have become naturalised in Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981); Hacker (1990); Reynolds (1990).

Tephrosia - A genus of more than 400 species, pantropic but particularly rich in Africa; about 55 species occur naturally in Australia. Polhill & Raven (1981); Stanley & Ross (1983).

Vandasina - A monotypic genus in Malesia, Australia and Papua New Guinea. Polhill & Raven (1981); Verdcourt (1979).

Vigna - A pantropic genus of about 150 species. Polhill & Raven (1981). About 10 species occur naturally in Australia. Stanley & Ross (1983).

References

Bennet, S.S.R. (1971). The taxonomic status of the genus Pongamia Vent. (Papilionaceae). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 68:302-304.

Burbidge, N.T. (1965). The Australian species of Sesbania Scopoli (Leguminosae). Australian Journal of Botany 13:103-141.

Crisp, M.D. (1983). Papilionoideae. In Morley, B.D. & Toelken, H.R. (Eds) 'Flowering Plants in Australia.' (Rigby Publishers: Adelaide.), pp. 151-164.

Dixon, D.J. (1997). A taxonomic revision of the genus Austrosteenisia R.Geesink (Fabaceae: Millettieae). Austrobaileya 5:79-91.

Francis, W.D. (1970). 'Australian Rain-Forest Trees.' (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.), 468 pp.

Geesink, R. (1981). Proposal to revise entries for Pongamia, nom. cons. Taxon 30:327-328.

Geesink, R. (1984). Scala Millettiearum. A survey of the genera of the tribe Millettieae (Legum.-Pap.) with methodological considerations. Leiden Botanical Series Vol. 8, (E.J. Brill/Leiden University Press: Leiden.), 131 pp.

Hacker, J.B. (1990). 'A Guide to Herbaceous and Shrub Legumes of Queensland.' (University of Queensland Press: St Lucia.), 351 pp.

Hnatiuk, R.J. (1990). 'Census of Australian Vascular Plants.' Australian Flora and Fauna Series No. 11, (Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra.), 650 pp.

Holland, A.E. (2002). A review of Crotalaria L. (Fabaceae: Crotalarieae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 6:23-324.

Hutchinson, J. (1964). Fabaceae. In 'The Genera of Flowering Plants.' Vol. I, (Oxford University Press: London.), p. 297-489.

Kort, I. de & Thijsse, G. (1984) A revision of the genus Indigofera (Leguminosae - Papilionoideae) in Southeast Asia. Blumea 30(1): 125-126.

Krukoff, B.A. & Barneby, R.C. (1974). Conspectus of species of the genus Erythrina. Lloydia 37:332-459.

Meeuwen, M.S. Knaap-van (1962). Preliminary revisions of some genera of Malaysian Papilionaceae IV - a revision of Ormosia. Reinwardtia 6:225-239.

Pedley, L. (1999). Desmodium and related genera in Australia: a taxonomic revision. Austrobaileya 5:209-261.

Polhill, R.M. & Raven, P.H. (Eds) (1981). 'Advances in Legume Systematics.' Part 1, (Royal Botanic Gardens: Kew.), 425 pp.

Reynolds, S.T. (1990). Aeschynomene (Benth.) Hutch. (Leguminosae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 3(2): 177-202.

Ross, J.H. (1991). Bossiaea arenicola (Fabaceae) a new species from northern Queensland. Muelleria 7:371-374.

Schot, A.M. (1994). A revision of Callerya Endl. (including Padbruggea and Whitfordiodendron) (Papilionaceae: Millettieae). Blumea 39:1-40.

Stanley, T.D. & Ross, E.M. (1983). Fabaceae. In 'Flora of south-eastern Queensland.' Vol. 1, (Queensland Department of Primary Industries: Brisbane.), pp. 239-331.

Thompson, I.T. (2001) Morphometric analysis of eastern Australian Hovea (Brongniartieae - Fabaceae) Australian Systematic Botany 14:1-99.

Verdcourt, B. (1979). 'A Manual of New Guinea Legumes.' Botany Bulletin No 11, (Office of Forests Division of Botany: Lae, Papua New Guinea.), 645 pp.

Verdcourt, B. (1981). New taxa of Mucuna (Leguminosae-Wilson, Peter G. & Rowe, R. (2008) A revision of the Indigofereae (Fabaceae) in Australia. 2. Indigofera species with trifoliolate and alternately pinnate leaves. Telopea 12(2).