Trees, shrubs, climbers, very rarely herbs. Leaves mostly alternate, mostly pinnate or bipinnate, pinnae or leaflets 1-many pairs rarely simple or unifoliolate. Stipules paired, mostly caducous, stipels may or may not be present. Inflorescence axillary or terminal, rarely leaf opposed, raceme or panicle. Flowers zygomorphic, rarely actinomorphic, mostly bisexual. Sepals 5 or 4 by the union of 2, free or partly united, imbricate or rarely valvate. Petals 5 or fewer, rarely absent, imbri¬cate, adaxial inner most. Stamens 10 or fewer, rarely numerous, free to variously connate; extra staminal disc sometimes present. Pistil unicarpellary, ovary unilo¬cular, ovules 1 to many, style single, undivided. Fruit a legume or indehiscent drupaceous and samaroid. Seeds sometimes arillate, rarely with endosperm.