Canavalia

Woody lianes or perennial herbs, prostrate or twining. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; stipules small, caducous. Flowers showy, white to purple, usually clustered along a peduncle in axillary racemes. Calyx with campanulate tube, 5-lobed; lobes 2-lipped; upper lip large, truncate or 2-fid; lower smaller, subentire or 3-fid. Petals: vexillum large, obovate, reflexed, eared at base, clawed, with 2 callosities or ridges above claw; wings falcate or subtwisted, eared, with callosity on ear, clawed; keel broader than wings, incurved, obtuse or obtusely beaked, with beak usually inflexed or spiral, sometimes eared, gibbous, clawed. Stamens monadelphous or imperfectly diadelphous; anthers uniform. Ovary subsessile, many-ovuled, often surrounded at base by cupular disc, sometimes hairy, style incurved or folded with keel; stigma terminal, sometimes subcapitate. Pod large, oblong, compressed or turgid, dehiscent, 2-valved, often with 2 ridges on sutures, sometimes velvety. Seeds black, white or reddish, often elliptic. x= 11 (aneuploids, polyploidy).