Herbs,
shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, usually compound, stipulate flowers usually
papilionaceous (irregular) in spikes, heads, racemes or panicles; calyx 4 or 5
cleft in some species 2-lipped; corolla (papilionaceous) with the upper petal
(5th), the "standard", larger than the others and sometimes turned
back; the two lateral petals, "wings", overlapping the two lower
petals; the lower pair often joined in some degree to produce the
"keel", which encloses the pistil and stamens; stamens 10, or 5, or
many, monadelphous (all joined together) or diadelphous (joined in 2 groups, as
9 and 1), or distinct; fruit a legume or loment.