Trees, shrubs, or woody vines, usually unarmed. Extrafloral nectaries present or absent, stipu­lar, not on petiole or rachis. Stipules lateral, free. Leaves unifoliolate or 2-foliolate. Flowers caesalpinioid or pseudopapilionaceous, bilateral; sepals connate or distinct, spathaceous or 2–5-lobed; petals distinct, (2–)5(or 6); stamens usually 10, rarely 1, 3, or 5, filaments partly connate or distinct, anthers dorsifixed; pollen in monads, rarely in tetrads. Fruits legumes, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds with apical crescent-shaped or circular hilum, complex hilar valve absent, pleurograms absent; embryo straight. x = 7.

Distribution

North America, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, e, s Europe, Asia, Africa, introduced widely.

Discussion

Genera 12, species ca. 335 (3 genera, 8 species in the flora).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Bauhinia, Cercis, Phanera

Key

Key to Genera of Subfamily Cercidoideae

1	Vines, twining, tendrils present.	Phanera
1	Trees or shrubs, tendrils absent.	> 2
2	Leaves unifoliolate, not lobate; inflorescences fascicled from old wood, appearing before leaves; flowers pseudopapilionaceous (banner enclosed by wings which are enclosed by keel petals); fertile stamens 10; legumes narrowly winged; seeds with a circular hilum, funicular aril lobes absent; widespread.	Cercis
2	Leaves unifoliolate or 2-foliolate, usually 2-lobate; inflorescences not fascicled from old wood, usually appearing after leaves; flowers caesalpinioid; fertile stamens 1, 3, 5 or 10; legumes not winged; seeds with a crescent-shaped hilum, funicular aril lobes present; Florida, Texas.	Bauhinia

The #taxon function requires the following parameters: rank, parent rank, name, and [parent rank].