Erect or climbing herbs, leaves pinnately trifoliolate, rarely unifoliolate; stipules not produced below the base; stipels present. Flowers in a peduncled raceme. Calyx tube narrowly campanulate or subtubular, lobes free, acute. Vexillum obovate or orbicular with 2 small reflexed auricles at the base of the limb. Wings round, longer than the vexillum. Keel partly boat-shaped, twisted, apex subhooded. Claws of wing and keel partly adnate to the staminal tube. Stamens diadelphous, 9+1, anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile, few or many ovuled, thickened part of the style abruptly curved through 90° just above the junction with the tenuous part, narrowed and slightly curved towards the apex, resembling a squarish hook; stigma capitate a little towards inside. Fruit linear, subterte or compressed, 2-valved; seeds numerous or few.

A genus with about 15 species, distributed in Tropical America; locally represented byan introduced species.

Lower Taxon

• Macroptilium lathyroides (Linn.) Urb.

Related Synonym(s):

• Macroptilium lathyroides var. semierectus (Linn.) Urb. = Macroptilium lathyroides (Linn.) Urb.
• Phaseolus lathyroides Linn. = Macroptilium lathyroides (Linn.) Urb.
• Phaseolus psoraleoides Wight & Arnott = Macroptilium lathyroides (Linn.) Urb.
• Phaseolus semierectus Linn. = Macroptilium lathyroides (Linn.) Urb.