Definitions for "Fabaceae"
a large family of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs bearing bean pods; divided for convenience into the subfamilies Caesalpiniacea; Mimosaceae; Papilionaceae.
Fabaceae is the botanical name of a large and economically important family of flowering plants, which includes the plants commonly known as legumes. In its broadest circumscription, used here, the Fabaceae sensu lato, also known by the acceptable alternate name Leguminosae, is the third largest family of flowering plants (after Asteraceae and Orchidaceae) with 650 genera and over 18,000 species. These are commonly called legumes or pulses and the family contains some of our most valuable food crops, such as beans, peas, peanuts, soybeans, and lentils.