Herbs or shrubs. Leaf simple or palmately trifoliolate or rarely up to 7-foliolate, generally stipulate. Inflorescence a raceme, terminal or leaf opposed. Bracts and bracteoles small or absent. Calyx teeth linear, lanceolate, subequal, free or the upper 2 fused, forming a lip. Vexillum orbicular, rarely ovate. Wing shorter than the standard. Keel incurved, beaked. Stamens monadelphous, anthers dimorphic. Ovary generally sessile, 2-many ovuled, style incurved, bearded above, stigma small, rarely bilobed. Fruit sessile or stipitate, globose or linear-oblong, turgid or inflated, 2-many seeded, continuous within.