Annual or perennial herbs, climbing, prostrate or rarely erect. Leaves pinnately trifoliolate or unifoliolate; stipules and stipels present. Flowers axillary, fasciculate or sometimes in false racemes. Calyx 4-5-lobed, upper lobes joined to form an entire or bifid lip. Vexillum usually auriculate and provided with 2 appendages; wings narrow; keel not twisted. Stamens diadelphous, 9+1, anthers uniform. Ovary 3-13-ovuled, style filiform, glabrous or shortly pubescent, but not barbate. Stigma terminal, capitate, usually with a ring of hairs surrounding it. Pod compressed, straight or curved, not septate. Seed compressed, hilum central, aril sometimes slightly developed or absent.

A genus of about 24 species, mainly African and Asian in distribution, some species pantropical; locally represented by a single species.

Lower Taxon

• Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.

Related Synonym(s):

• Dolichos biflorus* auct. non Linn.: Baker = Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.
• Dolichos uniflorus Lam. = Macrotyloma uniflorum (Lam.) Verdc.