Flora of Somalia 1: 341-342

Plants trees, shrubs, lianas, or herbs. Leaves alternate, usually compound, either digitately or pinnately, sometimes bipinnately compound, sometimes compound but with only 1 leaflet; stipules usally present. Receptacle usually expanded; sepals usually united; petals usually 5, sometimes fewer or absent, usually free, sometimes more or less united; stamens inserted with the petals at the top of the receptacle, usually 10, sometimes more or fewer; ovaries of 1 superior carpel; ovules (1-)2-several, attached to the dorsal suture. Fruits pods, usually dehiscing longitduninaly on both sides to form two valves, less frequently indehiscent, dehiscent only on the adaxial suture, or dehiscing transversly into 1-seeded segments. Seeds with no or scanty endopserm. 

Fabaceae includes about 650 genera and 18,000 species and is widely distributed through most of the world. Many members of the family are of great economic importance, including the peas and beans used for human food, the many species used for forage and pasture improvment, and the woody species which are often used for charcoal.  Most species form a mutualistic relationsionship with symbiotic bacteria which fix nitrogen, thereby increasing soil fertility.

Key to the genera in Somaliland and Somalia. 

Habit: Trees, shrubs, herbs, lianas.

Leaves: alternate, with stipules, with petioles, usually pinnately or digitately compound.

Inflorescences: varied.

Flowers: radially to bilaterally symmetric; sepals 5, united; petals 5, free; stamens usually 10; ovaries single superior ovary with 2+ seeds in a single row; style simple.

Fruits: legumes (follicle that usually dehisces on two sides), sometimes indehiscent or dehiscing transversely.

Size and distribution: 3rd largest family, 18,000 species in world, found in most areas other than arctic. 

Pollination: mostly by insects - mimosoids by beetles, others by more specialized insects. 

Importance: Economic - second only to grasses; seeds of many species are nutritious, also important as "green manure", also several ornamental species; many tree species used for building and charcoal.

Importance: Ecological - fix nitrogen via symbiosis, thereby enriching the soil. 

 

 

Caado: Geed, Geedgaab, Geed-hoosaad, Xayaab.

Caleemo: Qaab talantaalli ah, oo Buroleh, iyo samay caleen, oo habka baalka ama faraha u nashqadaysan.

Qaabka ubaxa: Kala jaad.

Ubaxa: Qaab laba geesood ah iyo qaab wareeg ah u samaysan; ma laacayaal 5 ah, oo isku dheggen, laaceyaal 5 ah, oo kala soocan; Faxalside 10 ah; Ugxan-side qudha oo sarreeya oo leh 2+ iniinyo ah oo layn qudha ku taxan; Dhuun ubbo fudud.  

Midhaha: Digirta (kiish u furma laba dhinac), mararka qaarna u kala jeexmaya si wareeg ah.

Cabbirka iyo filiqsanaanta: Waa qoyska 3-aad, 18,000 oo nooc baa dunida laga helaa, oo meel kasta laga helo marka laga reebo qaaradda Arctic-ga.

Faxlidda: Inta badan waxa faxla cayayaanka. mimosoids-ka waxa faxla xaarwalwaalka, kuwa kalena cayayaan u gaar ah.

Muhiimadda: Dhaqaale ahaan - waa bahda labaad marka laga yimaaddo bahda Cawska (Grasses); Iniinyaha ayaa aad u nafaqo badan, sidoo kale waa bacrimiyeyaal cagaaran. Waxa loo adeegsadaa qurux ahaan; Dhir badan oo ka mid ahna waxa loo isticmaalaa dhisme iyo dhuxul ahaan.

Muhiimadda: Ikoolaji ahaan- Waxa ay soo dabaan Nitrojiinta, hab isla-noolaansho ah, qaabkaas oo carrada hodan ka dhigaysa.

Economic importance: Fabaceae is the second most important plant family in economic importance. Many species form an important parts of human diets, for example Phaseolus (beans), Pisum sativum (peas), Cicer arietinum (chickpeas), Arachis hypogaea (peanuts), Ceratonia siliqua (carob), Tamarindus indica (Tamarind), Pachyrhizus erosus (Jicam) and Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice). Others, such as Medicago sativa (alfalfa) and Trofolium (clover) are important as animal food. Speces that are important sources of timber and wood products are Prosopis (mesquite), Albizia (Silk tree), and Tamarindus indica (Tamarind). There are also several invasive species, and some species are considered valuable by some, but invasive by others. For example, the spread of Prosopis in Somaliland and its displacement of other species is a major problem. See LanderProsopis for efforts to develop a sustainable approach to the problem. For more on the economic importance of the family, see the Encyclopedia Brittanica.

Ecological importance: Almost all members of the Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing bacteria.  This makes them an important presence in many ecosystems because nitrogen is one of the three most important soil nutrients (the other two are phosphorus and potassium). It is a key component of chlorophyll and proteins.  

 

Global distribution of the Fabaceae, based on specimen records. These records probably include cultivated specimens.