The leaves of ten species in the subfamily Papilionoideae in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, were studied anatomically with the light microscope with the view to document diagnostic characters that could enhance the Taxonomy of the sub-family. The following species which belong to four tribes were studied: tribe Desmodieae-Desmodium tortuosum (Sw.) DC., Desmodium scorpiurus (Sw.) Desv., Desmodium adscendens (Sw.) DC., tribe Phaseoleae-Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp., Calopogonium mucunoides Desv., Centrosema molle (Mart.) ex. Benth., Mucuna pruriens (Linn.) Walp., Vigna unguiculata (Linn.) Walp., tribe Crotalarieae-Crotalaria retusa Linn., tribe Robinieae-Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp. Leaf venation pattern is brochidodromous in all species except in Cajanus cajan where it is craspedodromous. The presence of papillae on the epidermis on both surfaces in Desmodium species only separates the tribe Desmodieae from other tribes. Mucilaginous cells on both leaf surfaces and prevalence of anisocytic stomata type instead of paracytic as in other species, are unique characters to Crotalaria retusa. Desmodium scorpiurus and Gliricidia sepium are the only two hypostomatic species while the others are amphistomatic. Stomata shape is a unifying character in the genus as all the species are elliptic in shape. Eglandular trichomes are present on adaxial and abaxial leaf epidermal surfaces in all the species studied but absent on adaxial surface of Crotalaria retusa only. The presence of mucilaginous cells on the epidermis; anticlinal cell wall pattern; type, distribution of eglandular trichomes; stomata type, presence and distribution on leaf surfaces; stomata index and venation pattern are the foliar anatomical characters of taxonomic value in the subfamily Papilionoideae.
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