Premise of research. Despite the taxonomic and phylogenetic importance of secretory structures in Caesalpinioideae, especially in Chamaecrista species, the characterization of their external glands is scarce and fragmented. The structural features of these glands during the course of development and the histochemistry of the secretion products were studied to elucidate their anatomy, ontogeny, and secretion process, as well as to infer their functional role.Methodology. Samples of leaves and flowers were fixed and prepared following standard methods for scanning electron microscopy or embedding in resin for anatomy. Histochemical tests were carried out on fresh sections to detect the main classes of compounds present in the secretion.Pivotal results. The glands must be classified as trichomes since they originate from a single protodermal cell. They consist of a very short stalk and a large, multicellular spherical or oblong-shaped glandular head with a long, beak-shaped filiform projection. At the tricho...