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Herbs annual or perennial. Stem erect or climbing by means of tendrils, winged or wingless. Leaves paripinnate, with rachis terminating in a branched or simple tendril or a bristle, rarely phyllodic or reduced to modified stipules; stipules sagittate or semisagittate, usually smaller than leaflets, sometimes large and leaflike; leaflets 1-to many paired, elliptic, ovate, ovate-oblong, lanceolate, or linear; veins parallel, pinnate, or reticulate. Inflorescence an axillary, pedunculate, 1-to many flowered raceme. Calyx campanulate, unequally or equally toothed; teeth not leaflike, at least 2 teeth less than 2 × as long as tube. Corolla purple, pink, yellow, or white, sometimes crimson, brick red, or orange. Staminal tube not oblique at apex; filaments filiform or distally dilated. Style linear or distally dilated, dorsally compressed, pubescent on upper side. Legume laterally compressed, dehiscent. Seeds 2 to many.
Cal regular or irregular, usually gibbous at base; standard broadly obovate to rotund, the fls typically appearing wider in proportion to length than in Vicia; wings narrowly to broadly obovate, lightly coherent with the upcurved keel; stamens 10, diadelphous, the tube ± truncate at the end; style usually bent at nearly a right angle, bearded along the inner (adaxial) side distally; fr flat to terete with 2–many seeds, dehiscent; herbs, the stems often winged, the lvs pinnately compound, usually (incl. all our spp.) ending in a tendril; stipules often notably large; fls red-purple to white or yellow, in racemes. 150, widespread.
Herbs, usually scandent; stems angled or winged. Lvs pinnate, tendrilous, mucronate or reduced to a phyllode or tendril; leaflets usually distinctly parallel-veined, in 2 or few pairs; stipules simple or toothed. Infl. axillary, racemose, 1-many-flowered. Calyx teeth 5, subequal or upper shorter, usually < 2× as long as tube. Staminal tube subequal at apex; stamens diadelphous. Style inflexed, bearded lengthwise on inside, otherwise glabrous; ovules numerous or rarely few. Pod compressed, 2-valved; seeds subglobose, rough or smooth, with long or short hilum.
Leaves paripinnate, rarely imparipinnate; rhachis terminating in a tendril or a bristle, rarely reduced to a tendril; petiole and rhachis sometimes dilated and leaf-like; leaflets usually few, inrolled in bud, rarely absent, entire; stipules foliaceous, often semi-sagittate, persistent, rarely entire.
Corolla small to medium-sized, red, blue or yellow; standard oblong-obovate to transversely elliptic with a short broad claw; wings oblong to falcate-obovate, adherent to the keel or free; keel shorter than the wings, incurved, obtuse.
Ovary subsessile or stipitate, few–many-flowered; style incurved, dorsally compressed, often indurated towards the apex, mostly bearded on the upper side, or rarely glabrous; stigma capitate.
Vexillary stamen free or connate with the staminal sheath; filament sheath truncate at the apex; anthers uniform.
Flowers solitary or in axillary racemes; bracts usually minute, early caducous; bracteoles absent.
Seeds globose or ellipsoid, sometimes compressed, smooth or rugulose, with a slender aril.
Annual or perennial herbs, erect or straggling, climbing by means of tendrils.
Calyx 5-lobed, sometimes asymmetrical with the upper 2 lobes shorter.
Pods linear-oblong, terete or ± laterally compressed, dehiscent.
Stems angular or ± winged.
