Sesbania exaltata (Raf.) Rydb. ex A. W. Hill, Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Darwinia exaltata Raf.; Sesbania herbacea auct. N. Amer; Sesbania macrocarpa Muhl., nom. nud.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: bigpod sesbania, coffeebean, Colorado River-hemp, hemp sesbania, peatree, sesbania

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Seedling:  The stems are thick and smooth with two faint ridges along the upper portion (Figure 1). The cotyledon blades are oblong, thick and smooth, with a midvein that is indistinct near the base on the upper surface but distinct on the lower surface. The petioles are short and flat with smooth ridges across the upper surface. The leaves alternate with the first leaf being simple. All additional leaves are even-pinnately compound with 6-8 or more leaflets. The individual leaflets have very short, minute stalks. The central rachis has a groove on the upper surface. The petiole has 2 stipules. The developing opposite leaflets are initially pressed together.  Mature Plant:  S. exaltata is a robust annual with smooth stems growing to 4 m tall and with few or no branches (Figure 2). The stem tips have few or no hairs. The leaves are alternately arranged and are once even-pinnately compound. The leaves may be as long as 30 cm. Each leaf may have from 20-70 leaflets. The leaflets have smooth margins and are narrowly oblong to linear-elliptic or linear with a point on the tip. The leaflets may be up to 3.5 cm long and 8 mm wide, and are smooth and somewhat waxy beneath. The stipules are not persistent. The flowers occur in the axils of the leaves. The calyx tube is smooth and is from 3-4 cm long. The corolla is 1.5-2.0 cm long. The petals are yellow and are often streaked or spotted with purple. The fruit is a dry, smooth, linear pod from 10-20 cm long and 3-4 mm broad. Each pod contains from 30-40 seeds"  (University of Florida Extension).

Habitat/ecology:  "Ditches, roadsides, fields, disturbed sites, river banks and lake shores"  (University of Florida Extension).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  "Florida westward to southern California and northward to New York. It is also found in Central America"  (University of Florida Extension).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Japan (offshore islands) Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands	introduced	Kato, Hidetoshi (2007)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 185)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Fact sheet from University of Florida Extension (PDF format).
Fact sheet from the Missouri Department of Conservation.

Additional online information about Sesbania exaltata is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Sesbania exaltata as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Sesbania exaltata may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Kato, Hidetoshi. 2007. Herbarium records of Makino Herbarium, Tokyo Metropolitan University. Personal communication.

Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro. 2004. Invasive alien species in Japan: the status quo and the new regulation for prevention of their adverse effects. Global Environmental Research 8(2)/2004: 171-191.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.