Ostryocarpus is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae. The name comes from ostryo- (Gk.: shell) and carpos (Gk.: fruit), referring to the shell-like pods. The first specimens were collected by Theodore Vogel in 1851 on the Niger Expedition to West Africa. It was described by Sir Joseph Hooker. It is related to the genus Lonchocarpus and is distinguished from it by its diadelphous stamens and shell-like pod.