Trees, shrubs or herbs, often trailing or twining, unarmed, rarely spiny; phyllotaxy spiral to distichous.<P>Leaves pinnate, digitate, simple or reduced to scales or replaced by phyllodes; stipules usually present at the base of the petiole, stipels occasional on petiolules; <P>Flowers solitary, racemose or paniculate, rarely umbellate, usually bisexual, regular or zygomorphic, 5-merous, hypogynous; bracts commonly supporting the flower, often caducous; calyx usually with 5 lobes, sepals or teeth, rarely 4 or 3 when joined, basally variously united into a tube; petals usually 5, free or somewhat connate, equal or distinct; stamens usually 10 sometimes less than 10 or numerous, free or variously connate, inserted with the petals at the rim of the receptacle; anthers 2-1ocular, usually opening by longitudinal slits, uniform or dimorphic; ovary almost always a single, superior, 2- to many-ovulate carpel, rarely l-ovulate; ovules attached to the adaxial suture.<P>Fruit nearly always a dry legume or pod, usually dehiscent into 2 valves, often dehiscent only along the upper suture or indehiscent, occasionally lomentaceous; seed usually with endosperm, often arillate and/or carunculate.