| General Information |
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| Distribution | A genus of about 20 species of the New World tropics and subtropics.
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Habit
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Erect, climbing, or creeping annual or perennial herbs.
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Leaves
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Leaves pinnately trifoliolate or rarely unifoliolate, stipellate, stipules strongly nerved.
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Flowers
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Flowers papilionaceous, solitary or in clusters of 2(3) in long pseudoracemes, bracts caducous; calyx lobes 5, subequal or the lowest ones reduced; corolla maroon, dark purple, crimson, or rarely white, wings longer than standard and keel, both wing and keel claws long, partly adnate to staminal tube, the keel twisted; upper stamen distinct, the other 9 connate into a tube; style bent near base and also with a thickened apical part abruptly bent 90° forming a squarish hook, bearded on the apical thickened part, primarily on upper (adaxial) side; stigma capitate.
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Fruit
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Pods cylindrical or compressed, straight or
falcate, dehiscent, valves rather thin, spirally twisted.
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Seeds
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Seeds few to numerous.
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