Fabids (Eurosids I)

Clade of Rosids

Food, Plant source foods, Flowering plats (angiospermae), Mesangiosperms, Eudicots, Core eudicots, Superrosids, Rosids

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Note: For better understanding, please read the article on flowering plants (angiospermae) first. If you come across unfamiliar words, you can click on any highlighted term to open the glossary with definitions of key botanical terms.

Introduction

The Fabids, sometimes called Eurosids I, form a vast and diverse branch of flowering plants, including tens of thousands of species. Though not part of older botanical frameworks, they are now widely acknowledged as a natural grouping based on shared features and evolutionary traits.

This group includes roughly 33,000 species, spread across 5 main orders and organized into about 30 families. Members of the Fabids display a remarkable variety in form and habitat, yet are united by certain underlying biological characteristics.

Description of Fabids

Similar to what is observed in the larger Rosid clade, the Fabids do not exhibit any well-established non-molecular defining traits that clearly associate all included species. Only a handful of traits appear with some regularity—most notably, petals and sepals tend to remain unfused at their base, and the ovules are typically bitegmic and crassinucellate.

Classification of Fabids

This clade is divided into 5 orders:

• Cucurbitales (cucumbers, luffas, melons, pumpkins, watermelons, zucchinis)
• Fabales (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts, peas, soybeans)
• Fagales (acorns, chestnuts, walnuts)
• Rosales (apples, apricots, cherries, peaches, pears, strawberries)
• Zygophyllales (guggul)