The flora is prepared at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in close collaboration with East African Herbarium and in liaison with the University of Dar es Salaam, the University of Nairobi and the Makerere University. Significant contributions are also made by specialists elsewhere. The flora is designed to a high academic standard and should be a useful resource reference for anyone concerned with the identification and utilization of plants in eastern Africa. Each family is published as a separate part.

Papers from the Kew International Legume Conference in 1992 dealing with cultivated legumes, their origins and relationships. Pulse crops, forage crops and fuelwood crops are all discussed.

A checklist of the legumes of West Asia, systematically listed by family, genus and species; each species with brief distribution notes and bibliographical references for detailed descriptions and illustrations.

Comprehensive checklist, with code abbreviations for characteristics, habitat and distribution. Notes of economic use are included where applicable.