By Amy Weiss

Mar 7 2019

Members of plant family Fabaceae (bean or legume family) produce a kind of fruit known as a legume; a dry fruit that usually dehisces (opens along a seam) on two sides. Legume fruits come in an enormous variety of shapes and sizes. The family includes herbs, shrubs, trees, and vines that grow throughout the world. In number of species, Fabaceae is the third-largest plant family; behind only the Orchidaceae (orchid family) and Asteraceae (daisy or sunflower family).