The family is cosmopolitan, and often forms a characteristic feature of the vegetation. Mimosoideae and Caesal pinioideae are richly developed in the tropical rain forests, where Papilionoideae are less conspicuous and mostly herbaceous ; in sub-tropical forests arborescent forms of all three suborders occur. In the temperate regions, tree-forms are rare—thus Mimo soideae are unrepresented in Europe; Caesalpinioideae are repre sented by species of Cercis, Gymnocladus and Gleditschia; Papi lionoideae by Robinia; but herbaceous Papilionatae abound and penetrate to the limit of growth of seed-plants in arctic and high alpine regions. Shrubs and under-shrubs, such as Ulex, Genista, Cytisus, are a characteristic feature in Europe and the Mediter ranean area. Acacias are an important component of the evergreen bush-vegetation of Australia, together with genera of the tribe Podalyrieae of Papilionatae (Chorizema, Oxylobium, etc.). Astrag alus, Oxytropis, Hedysarum, Onobrychis and others are char acteristic of the steppe-formations of eastern Europe and western Asia.
The suborder Papilionatae of the family is well represented in Great Britain. Thus Genista tinctoria is dyers' greenweed, yielding a yellow dye; G. anglica is needle furze; other shrubs are Ulex (U. europaeus, gorse, furze or whin, U. nanus, a dwarf species) and Cytisus scoparius, broom. Herbaceous plants are Ononis spinosa (rest-harrow), Medicago (medick), Melilotus (melilot), Trifolium (the clovers), Anthyllis V ulneraria (kidney-vetch), Lotus comic ulatus (bird's-foot trefoil), Astragalus (milk-vetch), Vicia (vetch, tare) and Lathyrus.
The most representative genera in the United States are as follows: Baptisia (false indigo), Crotalaria (rattlebox), Lupinus (lupine), Trifolium (clover), Petalostemon (prairie clover), Ro binia (locust), Astragalus (milk vetch), Desmodium (tick trefoil), Lespedeza (bush clover), Vicia (vetch), Lathyrus (everlasting pea), Gymnocladus (Kentucky coffeetree), Gleditsia (honey locust), Cassia (senna), Cercis (redbud), Mimosa and Acacia. The conspicuous genus in the western United States is Astragalus, represented by about 275 species.
The family is of great economic value, containing many plants that are widely cultivated. The seeds, which are rich in starch and proteins, form valuable foods, as in pea, the various beans, vetch, lentil, ground-nut (Arachis) and others; seeds of Arachis and others yield oils; those of Physo stigma venenosum, the Calabar ordeal bean, contain a strong poison. Many are useful fodder-plants, as the clovers (Trifolium) (q.v.), Medicago (e.g., M. sativa, lucerne [q.v.], or alfalfa) ; Melilotus, Vicia, Onobrychis (0. sativa is sainfoin, q.v.) ; and species of lespedeza, species of Trifolium, lupine and others are used as green manure. Many of the tropical trees afford useful
timber; Crotalaria, Sesbania, Aeschynomene and others yield fibre; species of Acacia and Astragalus yield gum ; Copaifera, Hymenaea and others balsams and resins; dyes are obtained from Genista (yellow), Indigofera (blue) and others (Haematoxylon campechi anum is logwood) ; of medicinal value are species of Cassia (senna leaves) and Astragalus ; Tamarindus indica is tamarind, Glycyrr hiza glabra yields liquorice root. Well-known ornamental trees and shrubs are Cercis (C. Siliquastrum is the Judas tree), Gledit schia, Genista, Cytisus (broom), Colutea (C. arborescens is blad der-senna), Robinia and Acacia; Wistaria sinensis, a native of China, is a well-known climbing shrub; Phaseolus multiflorus is the scarlet runner ; Lathyrus (sweet and everlasting peas), Lupi nus, Galega (goat's-rue) and others are herbaceous garden plants. Ceratonia Siliqua is the carob-tree of the Mediterranean, the pods of which (algaroba or St. John's bread) contain a sweet juicy pulp and are largely used for feeding live stock.
the capital of Ladakh and Baltistan, India, situated 4 m. from the right bank of the upper Indus 11,5oo ft. above the sea, 243 m. from Srinagar and 482 m. from Yarkland. It is the great emporium of the trade which passes between India, Chinese Turkestan and Tibet. Here meet the routes leading from the central Asian khanates, Kashgar, Yarkand, Khotan and Lhasa. The two chief roads from Leh to India pass via Srinagar and through the Kulu valley respectively. Under a commercial treaty with the maharaja of Kashmir, a British officer is deputed to Leh to regulate and control the traders and the traffic, conjointly with the governor appointed by the Kashmir state. Leh has formed the starting-point of many an adventurous journey into Tibet, the best-known route being that called the Janglam, the great trade route to Lhasa and China, passing by the Manasarowar lakes and the Mariam La pass into the valley of the Tsanpo. Pop. (1931) 3,093. A Moravian mission has long been established here, with an efficient little hospital. There is also a meteorological observa tory, the most elevated in Asia. (See LADAKH AND BALTISTAN.) Considerable alarm was felt in August 1928 following an accidental block in the Shyok river in 1926, about 8o m. N. of Leh and 35 m. S. of the Karakorum pass. A glacier in 1926 pushed its snout across the gorge and thus made an ice dam said to be 48o ft. in height. The river-lake behind the dam was, by July 1928, 9 m. long, 25 ft. deep and i,000 yd. wide, on the average. In early August (1928), the level of the lake rose steadily and a crack developed in the ice-dam. Apparently for the rest of the 1928 season the lake leaked slowly through the crack, so postponing the danger.