Fabaceae seed & Leguminosae

LATIN NAME: FABACEAE

COMMON NAME: Leguminosae, Pea Family, Legume Family

The fabaceae, or the legume family, is one of the largest and most important of the plant families, and its members range from the tiny clovers of the lawn to the towering acacias of the tropics, united by their pea-like flowers and their seed pods. The family includes the trees, the shrubs, the vines and the herbs, with alternate, usually compound leaves and the characteristic flowers with the large upper petal, the two side petals and the two lower petals joined into a keel, followed by the dry or fleshy seed pods which split along two sides, while many members carry the nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots which enrich the soil. The fabaceae are found across the world, from the arctic tundra to the tropical rainforest, and they include the beans, the peas, the lentils, the clovers, the acacias and the wisterias, and they are known as the legumes or the pea family.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The fabaceae have a real and distinguished place in research. They have been studied in the botany and the systematics, since the legume family is one of the largest and most diverse of the flowering plant families, and the researchers have examined its classification, its relationships and its evolution across the world, while the study of the legume systematics has drawn attention in the international botanical press. The family has also been studied in the agriculture and the crop science, since the legumes include some of the most important food and forage crops of the world, and the researchers have examined the beans, the peas, the lentils, the soybeans and the clovers, their breeding and their cultivation, while the study of the legume crops has been of continuing interest across the world. The fabaceae have also been studied in the ecology and the soil science, since the nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of the legumes enrich the soil and shape the plant communities, and the researchers have examined this symbiosis and its role in the ecosystems, while the study of the nitrogen fixation has been one of the most important of the ecological sciences. For a family of such importance, the fabaceae have a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Legume from seed, ecologically, the fabaceae are among the most important of the plant families. Their nitrogen-fixing roots enrich the poor soils and allow the other plants to grow, and their flowers feed the bees and the other pollinators, while their seeds and pods feed the birds, the rodents and the larger animals across the world. Their economic value is enormous: the fabaceae include the beans, the peas, the lentils, the soybeans, the peanuts, the chickpeas and the clovers, which feed the people and the livestock of the world, and their value has drawn attention in the international agricultural and food press, while the acacias, the wattles and the other legume trees provide the timber, the tannins and the ornamentals, and the family is the foundation of the agriculture and the ecology of the world. To raise the legumes, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a bright, sunny place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open soil in a bright, sunny place, keep the young legumes gently watered, and grow the little plants on in the sun.

The Fabaceae or Leguminosae, commonly known as the legume, pea, or bean family, are a large and economically important family of flowering plants. It includes trees, shrubs, and perennial or annual herbaceous plants, which are easily recognized by their fruit ( legume) and their compound, stipulated leaves.