Sesbania grandiflora
(sesbania)

Preferred Scientific Name

• Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers.

Preferred Common Name

• sesbania

Other Scientific Names

• Aeschynomene grandiflora (L.) L.
• Agati grandiflora (L.) Desv.
• Robinia grandiflora L.
• Sesban grandiflorus Poir.

International Common Names

• English: agati sesbania; corkwood tree; hummingbird tree; scarlet wistaria-tree; scarlet wisteria; sesban; vegetable-humming bird; West Indian pea
• Spanish: cresta de gallo; gallito
• French: agati a grandes fleurs; fagotier

Local Common Names

• Bahamas: flamingo bill
• Bangladesh: agasta; agati; bak; bokphul; buko
• China: da hua tian jing
• French Polynesia: afai; ofai; ouai; oufai
• Germany: Turibaum
• Guyana: August flower
• India: agathi; agathio; agati; bagphal; bak; basna; chogache; hadga
• Indonesia: tiger tongue; toroy; turi; tuwi
• Italy: sesbania
• Malaysia: kacang turi; petai belalang; sesban getih; turi
• Mexico: pico de flamenco
• Micronesia, Federated states of: pakphul
• Nepal: agasthi
• Northern Mariana Islands: caturay; katurai
• Palau: katurai
• Philippines: gauai-gauai; katudang; katurai; pan
• Samoa: sepania
• Sri Lanka: kathuru murunga
• Thailand: khae; khae-ban; ton kae
• USA/Hawaii: ohai ke'oke'o
• Vietnam: so dua

EPPO code

• SEBGR (Sesbania grandiflora)

• Domain: Eukaryota
•     Kingdom: Plantae
•         Phylum: Spermatophyta
•             Subphylum: Angiospermae
•                 Class: Dicotyledonae
•                     Order: Fabales
•                         Family: Fabaceae
•                             Subfamily: Faboideae
•                                 Genus: Sesbania
•                                     Species: Sesbania grandiflora

The legume genus Sesbania is placed in the Fabaceae family (USDA-ARS, 2014). The genus comprises about 50-60 species of herbs, shrubs, or small trees (Mabberley, 1997) distributed in tropical and subtropical regions in the Old and New Worlds. There are four subgenera of which Sesbania and Agati are of agricultural value.

The centre of diversity of this genus is in Africa, where more than 30 species occur (Masrahi et al., 2012). The subgenus Sesbania is important in Africa, and it has a large number of species, with more annuals and shrub types. Some of the most agriculturally important species are from subgenus Agate, found mainly in South and South East Asia where many are perennial tree types (Noses Onim and Dzowela, 1988).

S. grandiflora, native to tropical Asia, is closely related to S. formosa from northern Australia (Burbidge, 1965). Both are in the subfamily Papilonoideae (Faboideae) and the tribe Robinieae. The correct naming authority is (L.) Pers. (The Plant List, 2014), although others such as (L.) Poir. are still used (e.g. USDA-ARS, 2014). A number of the most common synonyms are included here, but many others are listed in ILDIS (2014).

Some authors have ranked the red flowered and white flowered forms as a distinct species or varieties, though they are now considered to be conspecific (ILDIS, 2014), though Bailey (1971) distinguishes another unnamed variety.

S. grandiflora is a fast growing, medium-size tree 4-10 m tall but reaching up to 15 m, with trunk diameters to 25-30 cm, open-branched with drooping branches. The bark is deeply furrowed, forming thick, soft, cork-like plates, grey, pink or whitish in colour. The inner bark is slightly bitter to the taste. Branches terete, leaf scars and stipule scars conspicuous. Stipules obliquely lanceolate, to 8 mm, caducous. The leaves are alternate and compound, pinnate, 15-(20-30)-40 cm long with 20-50(-60), glabrescent but densely appressed pubescent when young, and petiolules 1-2 mm. Each leaf has terete rachis and acerose stipels, and pairs of oblong rounded leaflets 1.2-5.0 cm long and 0.5-1.6 mm wide, smaller at both ends of rachis than in middle, both surfaces with or without dense appressed purplish brown glands and appressed villous but glabrescent, secondary veins 7 or 8 on each side of midvein but inconspicuous, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex obtuse to retuse and with a mucro. The leaves are borne on the ends of branches, and turn bright yellow before being shed. Inflorescences and racemes 4-7 cm, pendulous, 2-5-flowered, bract and bracteoles ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 7-10 mm, caducous, both surfaces appressed pubescent, hang at the leaf base and may be pink, red, yellowish or white. Individual flowers are 5-10 cm long, curved and about 30 mm wide before opening. Flowers are produced in short axillary racemes. Calyx bell-shaped, 2 cm long, slightly 2 lobed with 5 shallow teeth; corolla 5 white or red fleshy petals, stalked at base, oblong spreading standard shorter than others and curved back, 2 curved wings, 2 united curved inside petals; 10 curved stamens, 9 united and one separate, pistil with very narrow stalked ovary and slender style. The pods are long (20-60 cm) and narrow (6-9 mm), hanging, flat, septate, with swollen margins containing about 15 to 50 red-brown seeds.

It was introduced to the Pacific in the 1990s, where it showed promising results in trials in western Samoa and the Solomon Islands (Gutteridge, 1994), and was reported to be naturalized there in 2002 (Space and Flynn, 2002). It is likely that more records regarding introduction as part of tree species trials could indicate other dates of introduction.

Soil drainage

• free
• seasonally waterlogged

Soil reaction

• acid
• alkaline
• neutral

Soil texture

• heavy
• light
• medium

Special soil tolerances

• infertile
• saline
• shallow

Natural Dispersal

Pods and seeds are likely to be dispersed by water after rains or flooding. In some other Sesbania species, water is considered the principal means of seed dispersal.

Vector Transmission (biotic)

No information was available for S. grandiflora, but in S. punicea, the other arborescent sesbania, the propagules have no specific adaptations for biotic dispersal, and seeds are toxic and not attractive to birds or animals.

Intentional Introduction

Being a highly valued tree and on lists of promising fast growing legume trees for agroforestry, it has been widely introduced, and further intentional introduction is also likely.

S. grandiflora has been widely introduced and planted for soils conservation and soil improvement, thus noted as having positive environmental impacts. However, where it has become invasive, primarily on Pacific islands, it tends to form monocultures and outcompete native plant species. It is also noted to have allelopathic effects on crop seed germination (Chinnappan and Mahalingam, 2011), and may also therefore have a similar effect on native plants.

• Proved invasive outside its native range
• Abundant in its native range
• Highly adaptable to different environments
• Is a habitat generalist
• Tolerates, or benefits from, cultivation, browsing pressure, mutilation, fire etc
• Pioneering in disturbed areas
• Tolerant of shade
• Long lived
• Fast growing
• Has high reproductive potential
• Has propagules that can remain viable for more than one year
• Has high genetic variability

• Threat to/ loss of native species

• Allelopathic
• Competition - monopolizing resources
• Competition - shading
• Rapid growth

• Highly likely to be transported internationally deliberately

S. grandiflora wood is white and soft, relatively light, with a density of about 500 kg/m³. The timber is not durable, but is sometimes used for posts (Hocking, 1993). As a fuel, it burns rapidly without much heat (Hocking, 1993). However, because of its fast growth and availability within a year of planting, it is a popular fuelwood in areas where it grows. The wood is high in ash content (6.0%), but low in carbon (11.7%) (Pathak et al., 1987), with a calorific value of 17.91 MJ/kg. Wood should be well dried, and deteriorates in storage, becoming corky, dusty and unfit for burning (Evans et al., 1990).

S. grandiflora produces more cellulose as a raw material per unit area over very short rotations, than most other pulp wood tree species, usually in only 3-4 years. Trees of this age can be pulped without debarking and are suitable for chemical pulping for the production of cheap printing, writing, magazine and news printing papers. It has short fibres, but can be blended with long-fibred bamboo pulp in suitable proportions, resulting in much improved strength properties. When blended with bamboo pulp at a ratio of 20:80 it has been found to be suitable for the production of cheap papers and newsprint (Evans et al., 1990). The bark yields tannins, and a clear gum that is used as a substitute for gum arabic in foods and adhesives.

In Indonesia, fuelwood plantations yield 20-25 m³/ha per year (National Academy of Sciences, 1980). Rai et al. (1983) found the highest production after 3.5 years on riverside sites (65 kg/tree), 20 kg/tree under silvipasture and 10 kg/tree on canal-sides. On a 3-year rotation, about 40 t/ha of wood pulp can be harvested (Evans et al., 1990).

Young pods, leaves and flowers are a good food source and are widely used in rural areas. S. grandiflora is known in South East Asia for its large and edible flowers. Raw or lightly steamed after removing calyx and pistil, they are used as an ingredient of soups, salads and vegetable dishes. The white flowers are preferred in the Philippines since red ones are said to be bitter. Tender pods are eaten as string beans. The young leaves are also eaten, usually finely chopped and steamed, boiled or fried, but S. grandiflora leaves were found to be bitter in trials in India (Bai and Devadas, 1973), and had to be prepared in mixture with other leafy vegetables (Gopaldas et al., 1973). Sesbania leaves and pods have been eaten by lactating mothers to stimulate or increase milk secretion (galactagogue). Ochse and Bakhuisen van den Brink (1931) reported that in Java, leaves and young pods of S. grandiflora are eaten, especially by nursing mothers, following a belief from Africa and Asia that Sesbania foliage increases lactation of dairy animals.

Leaves and pods of S. grandiflora are valued as fodder. The foliage is reported to contain 36% crude protein (dry weight) and 9600 IU vitamin A per 100 g. S. grandiflora will produce a crop of leaves for fodder within 4 months of establishment. However, it cannot tolerate frequent lopping. Farmers in Lombok, Indonesia, use a system where the side branches only are lopped for fodder, leaving the main stem untouched (Gutteridge and Shelton, 1994). Due to the high protein content, it should be combined with low protein feeds that are high in energy, such as rice and maize straw. The fodder can be fed fresh, wilted or dried. Dried fodder can be stored and saved for times of shortage. The most effective method of feeding to ruminants is to provide it as a diet supplement at 15-30%. However, caution should be used in feeding the fodder to monogastric animals (Ash and Petaia, 1992; 't Mannetje and Jones, 1992). The leaves are reported to cure night blindness in cattle.

S. grandiflora has antibiotic, anti-helminthic, anti-neoplastic and contraceptive properties (Evans et al., 1990). For systemic disorders, decoctions are taken internally. A preparation made from the flowers and applied to the eyes is said to relieve dimness of vision. Preparations made from roots are used to treat malaria and as an expectorant, and poultices made from flowers and leaves are used to treat rheumatism, swellings, bruises and itching (Evans and Rotar, 1987).

S. grandiflora is a promising species for reforesting eroded and grassy wastelands throughout the tropics. It is used in agroforestry systems, especially where rehabilitation of eroded hilly areas is also required (Evans et al., 1990). It is well-suited to being grown as a fallow, planted densely, grown for short periods and ploughed under to improve soil fertility before the planting of food crops. It can also be used to shade coconut nurseries and root crop plantings, and to provide live support for pepper (Piper nigrum), betel (Piper betle) and vanilla. It is also used as a windbreak and shelterbelt for citrus, bananas and coffee, and is particularly effective when planted at close spacings in double or triple rows (Evans et al., 1990). Due to its rapid growth and nodulation, S. grandiflora foliage is also used as a green manure. It is grown in gardens, houselots and in mixed plantings for fodder production. It can also be planted in fence lines, field borders, rice paddy bunds and irrigation ditches. It is also commonly grown for ornamental purposes.