In May, thanks to the collaboration of 112 legume experts (3 of whom are new contributors - thank you!), we published a new version of the WCVP: Fabaceae Checklist: (2026v.7). The latest version is available on ChecklistBank, the Legume Data Portal, and Zenodo. The legume checklist forms part of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, Plants of the World Online (POWO) and the World Flora Online (WFO) taxonomic backbones.

We have checked approximately 60% of the legume names to date. Although this is slightly lower than in the previous checklist (62%), the difference is explained by changes in generic circumscriptions, with several new genera described last year. The legume dataset on Zenodo includes the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)](https://powo.science.kew.org/), International Plant Name Index (IPNI), Plants of the World Online and World Flora Online identifiers along with associated subfamily ranks for accepted taxa.

Legume checklist versions have been archived on Zenodo since the checklist’s first publication in 2022. A summary of all checklist versions are available here.

In the coming year, to build momentum and a sense of community, while advancing on the checking of names across the legume checklist, we will be hosting short hack-a-thon sessions online. These will allow us to meet and share experience and advice while checking names together. The first bi-monthly hack-a-thon will take place on 31 July at 13:00 GMT. If you want to join us, register to receive the meeting information. Please contribute and spread the word!

For 2027, checklist revisions should be submitted by 9 April 2027 for publication in June 2027.

Sincere thanks to all of you in the legume systematics community who helped improve and publish the checklist! Please remember to login into Rhakhis via the WFO portal in order to be recorded as a contributor to the Checklist.

We also take this opportunity to thank the Plant and Fungal Names Team at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew who vetted the names and published the WCVP database, in particular Rafaël Govaerts and Nicholas Black, as well as Alan Elliott at WFO who is guiding us with the use of Rhakhis and much more, and the informatics team at GBIF for ongoing help with publication of our datasets and support with the Legume Data Portal.

If you want to join the Taxonomy Working Group and help to update names, please register online.

The legume checklist can be edited using the procedures as outlined here.

For any questions, contact Marianne le Roux, Anne Bruneau or Juliana Rando.