Pea (Family Fabaceae)

Fabaceae (or Leguminosae) is a large and economically important family
of flowering plants, which is commonly known as the Legume Family,

Pea Family, Bean Family or Pulse Family. Fabaceae is the third largest

family of flowering plants, behind Orchidaceae and Asteraceae, with

730 genera and over 19,400 species. The largest genera are Astragalus

with more than 2,000 species, Acacia with more than 900 species, and

Indigofera with around 700 species. Other large genera include Crota-

laria with 600 species and Mimosa with 500 species.

The species of this family are found throughout the world, growing in

many different environments and climates.

A number are important agricultural plants, including: Glycine max
(soybean), Phaseolus (beans), Pisum sativum (pea), Cicer arietinum
(chickpeas), Medicago sativa (alfalfa), Arachis hypogaea (peanut),
Ceratonia siliqua (carob), and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice), which

are among the best known members of Fabaceae. A number of species

are also weedy pests in different parts of the world, including: Cytisus
scoparius (broom) and Pueraria lobata (kudzu), and a number of
Lupinus species.

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