Caesalpiniaceae – Caesalpiniaceae is commonly called cassia family. It is a heterogeneous group of plants with about 160 genera and some 2,000 species.
The latest classifications show that this subfamily is the most basal lineage among the legumes and the one from which the other two subfamilies evolved.
Caesalpinioideae legumes are found throughout the world but are primarily woody plants in the tropics.
The legumes produce many kinds of chemical substances—e.g., alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and the free amino acid canavanine (the latter found only in legumes).
The function of those that are physiologically active (i.e., often poisonous) in animals seems usually to be that of predator defense.