Fabales (order)

Order of dicotyledonous flowering plants in the Rosid I group among the core eudicots. The order comprises 4 families (Fabaceae, Polygalaceae, Quillajaceae, and Surianaceae), 754 genera, and more than 20,000 species. However, more than 95 percent of the genera and species belong to Fabaceae, the legume family. Fabaceae is the third largest family of angiosperms, exceeded only by Asteraceae (aster or sunflower family) and Orchidaceae (orchid family). Along with Poaceae (the grass family), Fabaceae is the most important plant family in the production of food for humans and livestock, as well as in the production of industrial products.