Subshrubs, shrubs, or perennial herbs. Leaves 1-foliolate or imparipinnately 3- or 5-9-foliolate, stipulate and stipellate. Ra­cemes or panicles, terminal or axillary. Flowers numerous, dense, small. Bracts deciduous or persistent, imbricate, 2-flowered at each bract; bracteoles absent. Pedicel elongated after anthesis, apically hooked, rarely not curved. Calyx 5-lobed, lower 3 lobes usually longer, upper 2 lobes partly connate. Standard orbicular or broadly obovate, clawed, auriculate; wings adherent to keel, shortly clawed, auriculate; keel obtuse, slightly incurved, auriculate. Stamens diadelphous (9+1); anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile, 2-10-ovuled; style incurved, linear; stigma capitate. Legume small, jointed; articles 2-8, plicate or peltate, folded laterally or longitudi­nally, not dehiscent, with 1 seed per article.

About 20 species: mostly in tropical Africa, Asia, and Australia; seven species in China.

(Authors: Huang Puhua (黄普华 Huang Pu-hwa); Hiroyoshi Ohashi, Yu Iokawa)