Family Fabaceae
Family : Fabaceae
Conserved name : Leguminosae
Popular name : The Pea or Bean Family
Taxonomic Position (according to Cronquist)
Kingdom : Plantae
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class :Magnoliopsida
Subclass : Rosidae
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabacaeae
Previously, the family Leguminosae was divided into three sub-family e.g. Papilionaceae, Caesalpinaceae and Mimosaceae. Now these three sub-families are recognized as independent family (Cronquist), and Papilonaceae is regarded as Fabaceae family. However, the Leguminosae family is also called Fabaceae family.
Identifying Characters of the Family
- Root bears nodule
- Fruit is legume
- Presence of compound leaf
- Pistill looks like a sword
- Androecium mona/dia delphous
- Ovary monocarpellary, marginal placentation
Table 1. Economic Important Plants of Fabaceae Family
| Serial Number | English name | Bangla name | Botanical name | Economic Importance |
| 1 | Ground nut | Badam | Arachis hypozea | Used as pulse, oil |
| 2 | Chickpea | Chola, boot | Cicer arietinum | Used as pulse |
| 3 | Pigeonpea | Arharaya | Cajanus cajan | Used as pulse |
| 4 | Soybean | Soyabean | Glycine max | Used as pulse oil and soya cake |
| 5 | Lentil | Masur | Lens culinaris | Used as pulse |
| 6 | Grass pea | Kheshari | Lathyrus sativus | Used as pulse |
| 7 | Pea, garden pea | Motor, motor-shuti | Pisum sativum L. | Used as pulse |
| 8 | Black gram | Mashkalai | Vigna mungo | Used as pulse |
| 9 | Faba bean | Barashim, bakla | Vicia faba | Used as pulse |
| 10 | Yard long bean | Vigna sinensis | Used as pulse | |
| 11 | Mung bean | Mugkalai | Vigna radiata | Used as pulse |
| 12 | Alfalfa | Lasan | Medicago sativa L. | Used as fodder |
| 13 | Sunhemp | Shon pat, Ghati | Crotolaria juncea | Used as fodder and fiber |
| 14 | Butterfly pea | Aparajita | Clitoria ternatea | Used as ornamental |
| 15 | Indigo | Nil | Indigofera indica | Used as dye |
| 16 | Medicago | Halud lupin | Medicago lupulina L. | Grazing purpose |
| 17 | Scarlet runner bean | Not known | Phaseolus coccineus | vegetable |
| 18 | French bean | Farashi bean | Phaseolus vulgaris | Vegetable and fodder |
| 19 | Not known | Choto motor | Pisum arvense | Pulse and fodder |
| 20 | Winged bean | Kamranga shim, corolla shim | Psophocarpus tetragonolobus | Vegetable and fodder |
| 21 | Sesbania | Dhaincha | Sesbania bisponosa | Green manure |
| 22 | Not known | Bakful | Sesbania grandiflora | Vegetable and fodder |
| 23 | Yard-long bean | boroboti | Vigna unguiculata | Important pulse |
| 24 | Rice bean | Not known | Vigna umbellata (Thunb) | Vegetable and fodder |
| 25 | Bush bean | Bush bean | ||
| 26 | Fenugreek | Methi | Trigonella foenum-graecum L. | Spices and vegetable |
| 27 | Lablab | Sheem | Lablab purpureus | Vegetable |