Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Low risk (based on second screen), score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Agati grandiflora Desv.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chamorro: caturay, katurai

English: corkwood tree, scarlet wisteria, sesban, vegetable hummingbird

French: agati a grandes fleurs

Hawaiian: ohai ke‘oke‘o

Palauan: katurai

Samoan: sepania

Tahitian: afai, ofai, ouai, oufai

Tamil: agathi, agati

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Small, open-branched tree with drooping branches; rarely much over 5-6 m tall; bark thick, gray, cracked; leaves to 30 cm long, glaucous; leaflets 20-40 pairs, oblong, obtuse, about 2-3 cm long; inflorescences lax axillary racemes; flowers white or deep pink, quite large, 7-8 (even 9) cm long; pods pendent, slender cylindric, green, many-seeded, 25-55 cm long, edible when young"  (Stone, 1970; pp. 343-344).

Habitat/ecology:  Cultivated as an ornamental but has a tendency to naturalize.  In Fiji, "cultivated near sea level in gardens and villages, and also occasionally naturalized"  (Smith, 1985; pp. 176-177). In New Caledonia, "cette espèce ornementale est probablement d'introduction européenne. Assez commun aujourd'hui dans les jardins, rarement spontané dans des terrains vagues" (MacKee, 1994; p. 90).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Indo-malaysian (Smith, 1985; pp. 176-177).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2000) (p. 7)
American Samoa Tutuila Islands	Tutuila Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1961) (voucher ID: BISH 155776) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 118)
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Saipan Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1950) (voucher ID: BISH 155761) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (US) Northern Mariana Islands	Tinian Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 38)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Mangaia Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	McCormack, Gerald (2007)
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 12)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 118)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Glassman, S. F. (1952) (p. 79)
Federated States of Micronesia Pohnpei Islands	Pohnpei Island	introduced cultivated	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim (1998) (p. 22)
Federated States of Micronesia Yap Islands	Yap (Waqab) Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1980) (voucher ID: BISH 660541) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ngau Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 176-177) Voucher cited: Smith, 7996 Occasionally naturalized.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ngau Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 155773) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Ngau Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1953) (voucher ID: BISH 155774) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (pp. 176-177) Vouchers cited: DA 12251, DA 12098 Occasionally naturalized.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Huahine Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 54)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Moorea Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 164) Vouchers cited: Florence 5275
French Polynesia Society Islands	Raiatea (Havai) Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 54)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island		Fosberg, F. R. (1997) (p. 54)
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1983) (voucher ID: BISH 492307) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Taha‘a Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 659648) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Welsh, S. L. (1998) (p. 164) Vouchers cited: Florence 5275, Fosberg 64442
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 493547) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1985) (voucher ID: BISH 598110) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
French Polynesia Tuamotu Archipelago	Raroia Atoll	introduced cultivated	Doty, Maxwell S. (1954) (p. 40)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced cultivated	Stone, Benjamin C. (1970) (pp. 343-344) Voucher cited: Stone 3784 (GUAM)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 118)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1900) (voucher ID: BISH 155759) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (year unknown) (voucher ID: BISH 155760) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (year unknown) (voucher ID: BISH 155762) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1961) (voucher ID: BISH 155763) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1966) (voucher ID: BISH 659651) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1958) (voucher ID: BISH 659652) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1966) (voucher ID: BISH 659653) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawaiian Islands	introduced cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 704)
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll	introduced cultivated	Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. (1999) (p. 101)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	uncertain if native invasive cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 90) Vouchers cited: Blanchon 818 (NOU), MacKee 25573, MacKee 28835 Spontané
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1968) (voucher ID: BISH 402025) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Palau Palau (main island group)	Babeldaob Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 14, 86)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced	Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce (1979) (p. 118)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 14, 82)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Malakal Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (pp. 14, 82)
Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	Papua New Guinea (eastern New Guinea Island)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 11) Naturalized.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 11) Naturalized.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1973) (voucher ID: BISH 417682) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 109)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2001) (p. 69)
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		Yuncker, T. G. (1959) (p. 139) Cited: Crosby.
Tonga Vava‘u Group	Vava‘u Island		Burkill, I. H. (1900) (p. 33)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Wake Islands	Wake Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1994) (voucher ID: BISH 659971) Taxon name on voucher: Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Poir.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	uncertain if native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Christmas Island Group	Christmas Island	introduced cultivated	Swarbrick, J. T. (1997) (p. 127)
Australia (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	introduced	Williams, D. G. (1994) (p. 23)
British Indian Ocean Territory Chagos Archipelago	Diego Garcia Island	introduced	Topp, J. M. W. (1988) (p. 6)
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)
Seychelles Seychelles Islands	Seychelles Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

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)	uncertain if native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2005)

Comments:  The white-flowered form is naturalizing around locations where it has been planted in American Samoa (Tutuila) (Space & Flynn, 2000).  Appears to be naturalizing extensively in Samoa (Space & Flynn, 2002).

Additional information:  Information from the Purdue University NewCROP web site.
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 0. Voucher specimen #BISH 155760 (J.G.Thompson? 269).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 0. Voucher specimen #BISH 155762 (Thompson, J.B. 168).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1900. Voucher specimen #BISH 155759 (A.Seale s.n.).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1950. Voucher specimen #BISH 155761 (Fosberg, F.R. 31805).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 155773 (Smith, A.C. 7996).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1953. Voucher specimen #BISH 155774 (A.C.Smith 7996).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1958. Voucher specimen #BISH 659652 (Whiting, M.G. L 19).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1961. Voucher specimen #BISH 155763 (B.C.Stone 3784).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1961. Voucher specimen #BISH 155776 (Bayless, N. 16).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1966. Voucher specimen #BISH 659651 (Evans, M. 1571).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1966. Voucher specimen #BISH 659653 (Evans, M. 1450).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1968. Voucher specimen #BISH 402025 (Webster, G.L. 14752).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1973. Voucher specimen #BISH 417682 (Whistler, W.A. W 617).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1980. Voucher specimen #BISH 660541 (Fosberg, F.R. 60116).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 493547 (Florence, J. 3381).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 659648 (Fosberg, F.R. 63409).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1983. Voucher specimen #BISH 492307 (J.Florence 5275).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1985. Voucher specimen #BISH 598110 (Fosberg, F.R. 64992).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1994. Voucher specimen #BISH 659971 (Herbst, D.R. 9680).

Burkill, I. H. 1900. The flora of Vavau, one of the Tonga Islands, with a short account of its vegetation by Charles Steele Crosby. Lin. Jour. Bot. 35:20-65.

Doty, Maxwell S. 1954. Floristic and Ecological Notes on Raroia Atoll, Tuamotus. Land biota: vascular plants. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 33. Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences, Washington. 41 pp.

Falanruw, Marjorie C./Maka, Jean E./Cole, Thomas G./Whitesell, Craig D. 1990. Common and scientific names of trees and shrubs of Mariana, Caroline, and Marshall Islands. Pac. SW Forest and Range Expt. Stn. Resource Bulletin PSW-67. 91 pp.

Fosberg, F. R. 1997. Preliminary checklist of the flowering plants and ferns of the Society Islands. Ed. by David R. Stoddart. U. Cal. Berkeley.

Fosberg, F. R./Otobed, D./Sachet, M.-H./Oliver, R. L./Powell, D. A./Canfield, J. E. 1980. Vascular plants of Palau with vernacular names. Department of Botany, The Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 43 pp.

Fosberg, F. R./Sachet, Marie-Hélène/Oliver, Royce. 1979. A geographical checklist of the Micronesian dicotyledonae. Micronesica 15:1-295.

Glassman, S. F. 1952. The flora of Ponape. Bishop Mus. Bull. 209: 1-152.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2005. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Tim. 1998. Checklist of the plants of Pohnpei. Unpublished checklist. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Hawai‘i. 21 pp.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

McCormack, Gerald. 2007. Cook Islands biodiversity and natural heritage. On-line database.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2000. Observations on invasive plant species in American Samoa.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 51 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2001. Report to the Kingdom of Tonga on invasive plant species of environmental concern.  USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 78 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of the Cook Islands on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 146 pp.

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Stone, Benjamin C. 1970. The flora of Guam. Micronesica 6:1-659.

Swarbrick, J. T. 1997. Environmental weeds and exotic plants on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: a report to Parks Australia. 101 pp. plus appendix.

Topp, J. M. W. 1988. An annotated check list of the flora of Diego Garcia, British Ocean Territory. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 313. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 21 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Welsh, S. L. 1998. Flora Societensis: A summary revision of the flowering plants of the Society Islands. E.P.S. Inc., Orem, Utah. 420 pp.

Whistler, W. A. 2000. Tropical ornamentals: a guide. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 542 pp.

Whistler, W. A./Steele, O. 1999. Botanical survey of the United States of America Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Islands. Prepared for Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education and the U. S. Army Environmental Center. 111 pp.

Williams, D. G. 1994. Vegetation and flora of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Atoll Research Bulletin No. 404. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. 29 pp.

Yuncker, T. G. 1959. Plants of Tonga. Bishop Museum Bull. 220. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 343 pp.