Sesbania sesban (L.) Merr., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 11 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Aeschynomene sesban L.; Sesban aegyptiacus Poir.; Sesbania aegyptiaca (Poir.) Pers.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: yin du tian jing

English: common sesban, Egyptian rattlepod, Egyptian riverhemp, Egyptian sesban, sesban, sesbania

Habit:  shrub

Description:  "Erect shrubs usually 2-3 (-6) m tall; older stems glabrate.  Leaflets 20-40, 15-20 (-30) mm long, 5-10 (-15) mm wide, sparsely pubescent, glabrate with age, apex obtuse to truncate, apiculate or slightly emarginate-mucronate, base obtuse, oblique.  Flowers 4-13 in racemes 5-12 cm long, rachis and pedicels pubescent when young, glabrate with age; calyx green or mottled purple, 5-6 mm long, villous within, sometimes sparely so; corolla yellow, standard often purple-spotted, 15-20 mm long, wings 12-17 mm long, keel slightly shorter.  Pods 10-23 cm long, 0.3-0.4 cm wide, twisted when young, tardily dehiscent.  Seeds 20-30, ca. 4 mm long, 2-3 mm wide"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 704).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "naturalized in pastures and other disturbed areas, 10-60 m" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 704).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Africa, Asia and Australia; widely cultivated and naturalized in the tropics (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 704)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 704) Voucher cited: Ewart III s.n. (BISH)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	introduced invasive	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 282) Occasional; a recent introduction.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Australia Australia (continental)	Northern Territory	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Australia Australia (continental)	Queensland	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	possibly native invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Cultivated and sometimes naturalized in wastelands, roadsides, riversides, mountain slopes, streamsides; below 300-1300 m. Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan".
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	possibly native invasive cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Cultivated and sometimes naturalized in wastelands, roadsides, riversides, mountain slopes, streamsides; below 300-1300 m".
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
India (Indian Ocean offshore islands) Nicobar Islands	Nicobar Islands	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Rodrigues Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Additional information:
Factsheet from Tropical Forages
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

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

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

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

References:

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

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

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.

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).

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).