Mimosa is a genus of about 600 species of herbs and shrubs, in the mimosoid clade of the legume family Fabaceae. Species are native to the Americas, from North Dakota to northern Argentina, and to eastern Africa as well as the Indian subcontinent and Indochina. The generic name is derived from the Greek word μῖμος (mimos), an "actor" or "mime", and the feminine suffix -osa, "resembling", suggesting its 'sensitive leaves' which seem to 'mimic conscious life'.
The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals that are twice divided (valvate) in bud and with numerous showy, prominent stamens.
Prosopis is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It contains around 45 species of spiny trees and shrubs found in subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas, Africa, Western Asia, and South Asia. They often thrive in arid soil and are resistant to drought, on occasion developing extremely deep root systems. Their wood is usually hard, dense and durable. Their fruits are pods and may contain large amounts of sugar. The generic name means "burdock" in late Latin and originated in the Greek language.
Brachystegia is a genus of tree of the subfamily Detarioideae that is native to tropical Africa.
Sesbania is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox, spiny sesbania, and Sesbania sesban, which is used in cooking. Plants of this genus, some of which are aquatic, can be used in alley cropping to increase the soil's nitrogen content. The species of rhizobia responsible for nitrogen fixation in Sesbania rostrata is Azorhizobium caulinodans.
Leucaena is a genus of flowering plants in the mimosoid clade of the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. It contains about 24 species of trees and shrubs, which are commonly known as leadtrees. They are native to the Americas, ranging from Texas in the United States south to Peru. The generic name is derived from the Greek word λευκός (leukos), meaning "white," referring to the flowers.
Piptadenia is a genus of tropical shrubs and trees of the family Fabaceae. It includes 28 species native to the tropical Americas, ranging from central Mexico to southern Brazil and northwestern Argentina.
Tephrosia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It is widespread in both the Eastern and Western Hemisphere, where it is found in tropical and warm-temperate regions.
Hoffmannseggia is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, known generally as rushpeas. These are pod-bearing herbs and subshrubs native to the Americas. In North America they range from California and Nebraska to southern Mexico, and from Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru to southern Argentina and Chile in South America. The generic name honors Johann Centurius, Count of Hoffmannsegg, a nineteenth-century German nobleman and botanist.
Cenostigma is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes 15 species native to the tropical Americas, ranging from Mexico to northwestern Argentina and southern Brazil. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae and tribe Caesalpinieae. Cenostigma pluviosa is being investigated as a possible antimalarial medication.
Pomaria is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes 16 species of shrubs and perennial herbs native to North America, South America, and southern Africa. Typical habitats include drier subtropical grasslands and wooded grasslands, often on limestone, and degraded areas. It belongs to tribe Caesalpinieae of subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Senegalia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the Mimosoid clade. Until 2005, its species were considered members of Acacia. The genus was considered polyphyletic and required further division, with the genera Parasenegalia and Pseudosenegalia accepted soon after.
Muellera is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes 32 species native to the tropical Americas, ranging from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae.
Nissolia, the yellowhoods, is a genus of lianas in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes 32 species native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, ranging from Arizona and Texas through Mexico, Central America, and South America to northern Argentina. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae, and was recently assigned to the informal monophyletic Adesmia clade of the Dalbergieae.
The tribe Dalbergieae is an early-branching clade within the flowering plant subfamily Faboideae. Within that subfamily, it belongs to an unranked clade called the dalbergioids. It was recently revised to include many genera formerly placed in tribes Adesmieae and Aeschynomeneae and to be included in a monophyletic group informally known as the dalbergioids sensu lato. The members of this tribe have a distinctive root nodule morphology, often referred to as an "aeschynomenoid" or "dalbergioid" nodule.
Erythrostemon is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. Its native range is tropical & subtropical America.
Libidibia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Fabaceae. It includes seven species of trees and shrubs native to the tropical Americas, ranging from northern Mexico to northern Argentina. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest and scrub, thorn forest, and savanna woodland. It belongs to the subfamily Caesalpinioideae.
Neltuma is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family (Fabaceae). It includes 43 species native to the Americas. The species range from the southwestern and central United States through Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America to southern Argentina.
