Leguminosae
, the second of five books to be published in the
Vascular Flora of the Southeastern United States
series, focuses on one of the most important and largest plant families in the region. The legume or bean family, which includes soybeans, peanuts, redbud, and their relatives, is one of the two plant groups that have made civilization possible. The legumes furnish protein and oil for food and industry and, through bacterial nodules on their roots, maintain the nitrogen balance in the soil. Also included in this plant family are numerous ornamentals, particularly in the southern part of the country. This volume is the first to treat the southeastern legumes in nearly sixty years.Geographical Range
covers the forested region of the southeastern United States west to the prairie and north to the southernmost terminal moraines. This region includes Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Notation of presence in adjacent states of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey will be made. Also in the series:Volume 1: AsteraceaeVolume 2: Ferns, Gymnosperms, Magnoliidae [not yet published]Volume 3, Part I: Rosidae and Asteridae [not yet published]Volume 4: Liliopsida [not yet published]