This check-list of the legumes of West Asia has been compiled at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as a contribution to the International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS). The data that have been used to prepare this book are held on computer at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and at the ILDIS Coordinating Centre, whence they are accessible to accredited users.
The area covered is Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula. Countries bordering the Mediterranean are covered by the Med-Checklist Project, based at Berlin and Geneva, and are not included here. Pakistan (including Baluchistan) will be covered later together with the rest of the Indian sub-continent. The U.S.S.R will also be dealt with as a separate project.