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Herbs or subshmbs. Leaves imparipinnate or, outside the Flora area, paripinnate with the rhachis ending in a spine; stipules entire, rather persistent; leaflets entire, not stipellate. Flowers in axillary racemes; bracts, and sometimes bracteoles, present. Calyx tubular, campanulate or inflated with 5 subequal teeth or, as in the Flora area, the upper 2 shorter. Standard glabrous or rarely, outside the Flora area, silky or tomentose, much longer than wide, without appendages, tapering gradually to the base; blades of wings and keel auriculate, ± oblong, of about equal length, the keel slightly pouched at the sides and here adhering to the wings. Vexillary filament free (except in one Himalayan species), straight at the base, the other 9 filaments united for most of their length, the free parts curved upwards, not dilated at the tip; anthers all alike. Ovary sessile or stipitate, 2–∞-ovulate; style filiform, glabrous; stigma small, terminal, not pilose. Pod sessile or stipitate, usually inflated, the lower suture usually, and the upper sometimes, impressed, usually wholly or partly divided lengthwise by a vertical septum growing up from the lower suture. Seeds kidney-shaped, with a thread-like funicle.
Cal-tube campanulate to cylindric, often oblique; cal-lobes triangular to linear-subulate; standard obovate-oblong to rotund, usually surpassing the obtuse or emarginate wings; keel obtuse to acute, not beaked; stamens 10, diadelphous; fr highly variable, usually dehiscent; ours perennial herbs with numerous pinnate lfls and anthocyanic to ochroleucous or white fls in axillary racemes. (Atelophragma, Batidophaca, Geoprumnon, Holophacos, Homalobus, Phaca, Pisophaca, Tium, Xylophacos) 1500+, widespread.
Standard much longer than wide, gradually narrowed to the base, glabrous, or rarely silky or tomentose (outside the Flora Zambesiaca area); wings oblong to oblong-ovate, clawed, the blades auriculate; keel petals ± as long as the wings, oblong, the lamina slightly pouched above the auricle and adhering to the wings.
Pod sessile or stipitate, usually inflated, with the lower suture usually impressed, the upper one sometimes so, usually partly or wholly divided by a vertical false septum growing from the lower suture.
Leaves imparipinnate, or paripinnate with a spine at the end of the rhachis (outside the Flora Zambesiaca area); leaflets entire; stipules entire, often foliaceous persistent; stipels absent.
Vexillary stamen free (except in one Himalayan species), straight at the base; filament sheath long; free parts of the filaments curved upwards, filiform; anthers uniform.
Ovary sessile or stipitate, 2–many-ovulate; style filiform, glabrous with a small terminal stigma.
Calyx tubular, campanulate or inflated, divided into 5 subequal teeth or the upper two shorter.
Inflorescence a many-flowered axillary raceme; bracts present; bracteoles present or absent.
Herbs or subshrubs.
Seeds reniform.
