Herbs or woody vines, prostrate or twining. Leaves pinnately 3-foliolate; stipules caducous or absent; stipels usually absent; leaflets with obvious sessile glands abaxially. Inflorescence axillary, 1-flowered to racemose. Bracts caducous or absent; bracteoles usually absent. Calyx campanulate; lobes lanceolate or triangular, lowest one longest. Corolla ± longer than calyx; standard almost circular, obovate or transversely elliptic, base with auricles; wings usually with auricles; keels shorter than wings, slightly curved. Stamens diadelphous; vexillary stamen free; anthers uniform. Ovary stipitate or sessile; ovules many; style filiform, introrse, gla­brous; stigma small, terminal, capitate. Legume linear or linear-oblong, dehiscent. Seed hilum long or short; strophiole thin and small.

Dunbaria was revised by Maesen (Wageningen Agric. Univ. Pap. 98(1). 1998).

Dunbaria merrillii Elmer (usually treated as a synonym of D. cumingiana Bentham), otherwise known from Indonesia and the Philippines, was recorded from Taiwan (Lan Yu) (Fl. Taiwan, ed. 2, 3: 275, t. 134. 1993). However, the illustration provided is more suggestive of a species of Cajanus as it shows a large legume, 10-12 cm, distinctly constricted between the seeds, and twisted after dehiscence.

About 20 species: Asia, Oceania; eight species in China.

(Authors: Sa Ren (萨仁); Michael G. Gilbert)