Abstract
The family Leguminosae Jussieu comprises about 730 genera and 19.400 species divided in three subfamilies: Mimosoideae, Papilionideae and Caesalpinioideae (Lewis et al. 2005), bearing a huge diversity of habits from small annual herbs to large trees. They can be found in all terrestrial habitats, from rainforests to deserts (Polhill et al., 1981; Lewis et al. 2005).