Pulses (Pulses and legumes 1) are the fruits of the Family Leguminosae, the leguminous plants, of which many species are important sources of food or supply other useful products. It is a very large family that is subdivided into three subfamilies, which are also considered as distinct families. These are the (sub)family Mimosaceae, the (sub)family Ceasalpiniaceae and the (sub)family Papilionaceae or Fabaceae, the Pea family.

Members of the Mimosaceae yield gum (Acacia senegal) and tannins (Acacia mearnsi), and include also the petai (Parkia speciosa), used in Asia as a vegetable and for flavouring.
The Caesalpiniaceae provide traditional medicines like senna (Cassia angustifolia and Cassia senna); dyes (Haematoxylon campechianum) and tamarind (Tamarindus indica).

The Papilionaceae or Fabaceae provide the kitchen herb fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum; sann or sunn hemp, Crotalaria juncea; derris, tuba root, Derris elliptica, used in insecticides ; and the tonka bean, Dipteryx odorata (see Derris elliptica), both providing an aroma.
However, the largest group of the Pea family provides an important source of food. They include many types of pulses, both in the tropics (Pulses and legumes 2) as in the temperate regions (Pulses and legumes 3).
Examples of tropical pulses are:
- lentil, Lens esculenta;
- cow pea, yard-long bean, Vigna unguiculata;
- chick pea, Cicer arietinum;
- lablab, bonavist bean, hyacinth bean, Lablab niger;
- pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan;
- green gram, golden gram, mung, Phaseolus aureus;
- black gram, Phaseolus mungo, see Phaseolus aureus;
- butter bean, lima bean, sieva bean, Phaseolus lunatus;
- tepary bean, Phaseolus acutifolius, see Phaseolus vulgaris;
- adzuki bean, Phaseolus angularis, see Phaseolus vulgaris;
- cluster bean, Cyamopsis tetragonoloba;
- yam bean, Pachyrrhizus erosus, see Lablab niger;
- Goa bean, winged bean, Psophocarpus tetragonolobus, see Lablab niger;
- sword bean, Canavalia gladiata, see Lablab niger;
- horse gram, Dolichos uniflorus, see Lablab niger.
Besides these species, the groundnut or peanut, Arachis hypogaea, and the soybean, Glycine max, are important oil producing leguminous plants, see also Oil producing plants.

Leguminous plants of the temperate regions (Pulses and legumes 4) are important as a source of peas and beans, which are known in all kinds of varieties (Pulses and legumes 5), like dried beans (white bean, navy bean, kidney bean and marrow bean), snap beans (French bean), Phaseolus vulgaris; runner bean, Phaseolus coccineus; and peas, Pisum sativum. Also the broad bean, field bean, horse bean, tick bean, or Windsor bean, Vicia faba, is an important vegetable. Besides this, many pulses are used as cattle fodder.