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ules varying greatly in size and shape. Inflorescences racemes, peduncles ter-minal or opposite leaves, bracts setaceous to foliaceous; bracteoles paired, similar in shape to the bracts and located on the pedicel or the calyx. Flowers sometimes showy, bisexual, 5-merous; calyx green, the bilabiate tube usually campanulate, glabrous or pubescent, the lobes usually longer to much longer than the tube; corolla papilionaceous, usually yellow (blue in C. verrucosa), standards orbicular or obovate, the apex rounded or retuse, the base clawed, the adaxial surface and veins near the base frequently becoming red-tinged, the wing petals oblong, at-tached to a stalk continuous with the lower margin (cleaver-shaped), the blades usually puckered between some of the veins, the keel petals usually twisted at the tip, lanate ciliate; stamens 10, monadelphous, the staminal tube open on the upper side, the anthers dimorphic with basifixed long anthers alternating with medifixed short anthers, the short anthers positioned above the elongate at an-thesis; ovary terminated by a geniculate style. Fruit an inflated, sub-cylindric, sessile or short stipitate legume, glabrous or pubescent, the fruits of some species becoming black at maturity; seeds 7-46 per legume, oblique cordiform, the testa smooth and usually impervious to water.
Herbs or shrubs of very varied habit. Leaves simple, 1-foliolate or digitately 3(–7)-foliolate; leaflets entire. Stipules filiform to foliaceous or absent. Flowers usually in terminal, leaf-opposed or less commonly axillary racemes, sometimes modified as heads, subumbelliform or compound, occasionally flowers solitary or in axillary clusters. Calyx (4–)5-lobed or sometimes effectively 3-lobed by union of upper and lateral lobes on either side; tube sometimes protracted on the lower side or 2-lipped. Corolla usually longer than the calyx, usually yellow or yellow-green, variously marked, less commonly white or blue; standard almost always with 2 callus-like appendages at the base inside, glabrous or pubescent outside; wings with rows of crescent-shaped folds between some of the veins; keel rounded or angled, generally produced into a prominent beak. Stamens all joined, with the sheath open at least at the base; anthers dimorphic, 5 large alternating with 5 small. Ovary usually stipitate; style curved or geniculate, almost always pubescent above; stigma usually small, rarely bilobed. Pods subsessile to long-stipitate, usually inflated, almost always dehiscent, though sometimes tardily so, 1–many-seeded. Seeds mostly oblique-cordiform to oblong-reniform, sometimes with a conspicuous aril.
Herbs or shrubs. Lvs usually simple or 3-(7)-foliolate, petiolate or subsessile; leaflets entire; stipules filiform to foliaceous or 0. Infl. usually racemose and terminal or lf-opposed; fls sometimes solitary or in axillary clusters; bracts small or 0, rarely foliaceous; bracteoles small, rarely 0. Calyx teeth 5, free or connate with calyx appearing 3-4-toothed. Corolla usually yellow or yellow-green. Stamens connate into a split tube; alternate anthers long and basifixed or short and versatile. Style incurved, bearded above; stigma small. Pod globose or oblong, usually inflated, dehiscent, 1-many-seeded; seeds estrophiolate.
Standard generally yellow, sometimes blue or white, often lined reddish, almost always with 2 appendages at the base inside, glabrous or hairy outside; keel rounded to angled, generally produced into a well developed beak.
Calyx usually with 5 subequal lobes, sometimes the lower 3 on a short lip, sometimes 2-lipped with long lobes, occasionally with only 4 lobes or with the lateral and upper lobes largely joined on either side.
Herbs or shrubs, erect to prostrate. Leaves ternately compound or unifoliolate by reduction; leaflets entire, glabrous or pubescent, subtended by stipules; stip-
Flowers usually in terminal, leaf-opposed or less commonly axillary racemes, occasionally solitary or clustered; bract and paired bracteoles generally present.
Style curved to geniculate, the basal portion thicker, almost always with 1–2 lines of hairs on the upper part; stigma small.
Stamens all joined into a sheath open at least at the base; anthers alternately long, basifixed, and smaller, dorsifixed.
Leaves simple, 1-foliolate or digitately 3(7)-foliolate, usually petiolate; stipules filiform to leaf-like or lacking.
Seeds mostly oblique-cordiform to oblong-reniform, with a definite hilar sinus,sometimes with a conspicuous aril.
Pod subsessile to long-stipitate, usually inflated, generally dehiscent, sometimes tardily so, 1–many-seeded.
Herbs or shrubs.
