PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
Sesbania grandiflora
Fabaceae FAMILY

Sesbania grandiflora

Sesbania grandiflora

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

Sesbania grandiflora is well adapted to hot, humid environments in the lowland tropics[1]. It succeeds at elevations below 1,000 metres with a mean annual temperature in the range 22 - 30°c, and a mean annual rainfall of 2,000 - 4,000 mm, exceptionally tolerating rainfall as low as 800mm per year[1]. It lacks tolerance for cool temperatures below about 10°c[1]. It seems to prefer a bimodal rainfall distribution, growing rapidly during the wet season, but is capable of withstanding prolonged dry seasons of up to 9 months[1]. Requires a sunny position for best growth[2]. Prefers a fertile, moist but well-drained moderately light soil, though it succeeds in light sandy, medium, heavy clayey and low fertility soils[3, 4, 2]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 8.5, but can tolerate acid conditions down to 4.5[2]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[1]. The plant has an outstanding ability to tolerate waterlogging and is ideally suited to seasonally flooded environments[1]. When flooded, the plant initiates floating, adventitious roots, and protects its stems[1]. Widely cultivated in the tropics as an ornamental, where it is valued especially for its long, flowering display. The plant is a prolific producer of seeds, leading to a lot of litter under the tree and a tendency to produce seedlings in unwanted places. It has escapd from cultivation in some areas and become naturalized. It is considered to be invasive in some Pacific islands[5, 6, 7]. The species is very fast growing, but does not live long - it has a life span of about 20 years[1]. Plants have reached a height of 3.2 metres in just 9 months when raised in loamy soils, but only 1.8 metres when growing in sandy soils[1]. The plant is shallow-rooted and tends to grow too quickly, resulting in brittle and weak limbs that have a tendency to snap and a plant that is easily uprooted in strong winds[8, 6]. At a very short rotation of 3 - 4 years, the tree is capable of producing much higher cellulose raw material per unit area than most other pulp woods[1]. Even trees 3 - 4 years old can be pulped without debarking and are suitable for chemical pulping for use as cheap printing, writing, magazine and newsprint paper[1]. On a 3-year rotation, about 41 tonnes of pulp per hectare per year can be harvested[1]. Young plants respond well to the first time they are coppiced, but tend to copice less well with repeated cuttings[2]. Plants can flower all year round[8]. There are some named varieties[9]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[3, 2].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination, though good germination can usually be obtained without treatment[6].. Scarification can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing[4]. The plant is easily propagated by direct seeding[1]. It is not hard seeded and usually germinates well without scarification[1]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Sesbania+grandiflora>

Pollinators

Birds

References

  1. [1]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  2. [2]Digital Compendium of Forestry Species of Cambodia — www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com; Phnom Penh · 2008 · http://www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com ↩︎A very detailed booklet, produced in PDF format on the internet, giving information on around 100 species of trees.
  3. [3]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  4. [4]Tropical Ornamentals; A Guide — Whistler. W. Arthur. · Timber Press Inc. Oregon. · 2000 · ISBN 0-88192-448-2 ↩︎An excellent little guide to some of the more commonly cultivated ornamental plants of the Tropics, often giving some information on the plants other uses.
  5. [5]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  6. [6]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  7. [7]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
  8. [8]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  9. [9]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  10. [10]Adansonia Vol. 9 — Muséum National D'Histoire Naturelle; Paris. · 1987 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org ↩︎A botanical publication. It contains a treatment of the littoral members of the genus Sesbania. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
  11. [11]Vitamin C content of commonly eaten green leafy vegetables in fresh and under different storage conditions — Umaramani M. & Sivakanesan R. · 2015 · ISBN 2349 - 1183 ↩︎
  12. [12]Dictionary of Economic Plants. — Uphof. J. C. Th. · Weinheim · 1959 · ISBN - ↩︎An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
  13. [13]Local Vegetables of Thailand — Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences · 2010 · http://www.jircas.affrc.go.jp/project/value_addition/Local_Vegetables_of_Thailand_home.html ↩︎A website providing information on more than 100 species of plants used as vegetables and available in the markets of Thailand - ranging from the common to those only used locally
  14. [14]Food Plants in the Americas: A Survey of the Domesticated, Cultivated, and Wild Plants Used for Human Food in North, — Kermath B.M.; Bennett B.C.' Pulsipher L.M. · 2014 ↩︎A pre-publication draft of an amazing, on-going work first started in 1985. It contains information on more than 3,900 taxa from the Americas - from Arctic regions to the Tropics
  15. [15]Plants and People of Nepal — Manandhar. N. P. · Timber Press. Oregon. · 2002 · ISBN 0-88192-527-6 ↩︎Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.