The Fabaceae, or bean family, is the third largest plant family in the world. Its economic importance as a source of food, medicine, and materials is second only to grasses, it is ecologically vital in nearly all ecosystems, and it contains many major invasive species. The collaborative product of an international team of experts, Flora of North America North of Mexico Volume 11: Magnoliophyta: Fabaceae is the first comprehensive treatment of this family inNorth America to reflect the extensive changes to its classification resulting from contemporary research and current understanding of its diversity and distribution.