Sesbania grandiflora

Sesbania grandiflora, common names vegetable hummingbird, katurai, agati, agastya, agasya, kathurumurunga and West Indian pea, is a leguminous tree of family Fabaceae native to Malesia, including Malaysia, New Guinea, and the Philippines. It is widely distributed globally in equatorial regions. The flowers are eaten in Southeast and South Asia.

Description

A shrub or small tree up to 5-10 m tall. The trunk has rough bark and the branches often droop. The trunk is thick. The branches are hairy when young. The leaves are made up of 41 to 61 leaflets. These are narrow and oblong. They are 2.5-4 cm long by 0.5-1.4 cm wide. They have a sharp point at the tip. The flowers are large and white to red. The flower petals can be 5-10 cm long. They are produced as 2-4 flowers on flowering branches 2-5 cm long. It has long narrow pods with up to 30-50 small brownish seeds. The seeds with their stalk can be 2.5-4.5 cm long in pods 20-25 cm long by 7-9 mm wide.

Edible Uses

The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked — added to salads, boiled as a potherb, fried or used in curries. They are considered a delicacy in India, are rich in sugar and iron, and have a mushroom-like flavour. The centre of the flower is usually removed as it is very bitter, and white flowers are generally preferred to red ones. The long, narrow seedpods can be boiled and eaten like string beans, and very young pods can be added to salads. Pods can reach up to 50 cm long and 8 mm wide. The protein-rich seeds are fermented into tempeh. Young leaves and shoots can be eaten raw or cooked — added to salads, used as a potherb or included in stews. A clear gum obtained from the bark is used in foods.

Traditional Uses

CAUTION: The seeds are toxic. They are fermented and used. The leaves and flowers are used as a vegetable. The young pods are also eaten. The young leaves are stripped from the stalks and lightly boiled or steamed or served as a vegetable in curries. The white flowers that are eaten contain a considerable amount of sugar and iron and are said to taste like mushrooms. Flowers of the red-flowered variety are bitter and hence, it is only used as an ornamental. The flowers are boiled, fried or used in curries, soups and stews. The bark is broiled for soup.

Medicinal Uses

The leaves are aperient and diuretic. Crushed leaves are applied as a poultice to sprains, bruises, swellings, rheumatism and itching. A tea made from the leaves is believed to have antibiotic, anthelmintic, antitumor and contraceptive properties. The bitter bark is considered astringent, febrifuge, tonic and antipyretic, and is used as a remedy for gastric troubles, colic with diarrhoea and dysentery. A bark decoction is taken orally to treat fever, diarrhoea, dysentery and diabetes. The flowers are emollient and laxative. Flower juice placed in the eyes is said to relieve dimness of vision, and a flower decoction is taken to reduce sinus congestion. The root is a well-known treatment for malaria; root juices are used in poultices, and a root paste is applied externally for rheumatism.

Known Hazards

Feed from the seed can be deadly to chickens.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in tropical and subtropical climates. It grows in places with an average rainfall of 900-1200 mm and a temperature range of 17-25°C minimum and 25-37°C maximum. It is cultivated in coastal towns. It does well in both dry and moist areas. It probably grows up to about 1500 m altitude in tropical places. It does best in rich moist soils. It needs a sunny location. It is damaged by frost. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, China, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia*, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marianas, Marquesas, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Middle East, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, North America, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen,

Cultivation

Trees are grown from seed. The seed often need seed treatment to break the hard seed coat. Seeds germinate best with temperatures above 19°C. It can be grown from cuttings. It fixes nitrogen.

Propagation

The hard seedcoat benefits from scarification before sowing. Pour a small amount of nearly boiling water over the seeds (taking care not to cook them), then soak in warm water for 12–24 hours. If seeds have not swollen, carefully nick the seedcoat without damaging the embryo and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. Plants can be established by direct seeding, and in most cases germinate well without scarification. Half-ripe wood cuttings can also be taken.

Other Uses

Sesbania species are excellent for green manure, soil improvement and erosion control, and can serve as a shade tree and livestock fodder. The plant is fast-growing with an extensive root system that fixes atmospheric nitrogen, making it ideal for rehabilitating eroded land. Falling fruits, leaflets and flowers make excellent green manure or mulch. The plant has been used to shade nurseries and plantation crops such as coffee, tea and cocoa, and as a windbreak for citrus, banana and coffee. It can be used as a living fence, shelterbelt or live support for crops such as vanilla and pepper. Its open canopy allows sufficient sunlight for interplanted crops. The bark produces a clear exudate gum used in adhesives as a substitute for gum arabic. The bark also yields tannins. The white wood is soft and relatively light, though density increases with age; timber from trees aged 5–8 years can be used in house construction or as craft wood. The trunk has been used for poles, though these may not last due to rot and insect attack. The light wood is used to float fishing nets. The wood is a major source of pulp for papermaking; its short fibres can be blended with long-fibred bamboo pulp for improved strength. The wood is used as fuel and for making charcoal, though it smokes excessively when burning. At 500 kg/m², it burns rapidly with relatively little heat, but the tree's fast growth and availability within a year of planting make it a locally popular fuelwood. Wood should be well dried as it deteriorates in storage, becoming corky, dusty and unfit for burning. Its calorific value is 17.91 MJ/kg, with a high ash content of 6% and a low carbon percentage of 11.7%.

Production

It is a quick growing tree. Trees flower in their second year. It is short lived. A tree can provide 6-9 kg of leaves per year. The leaves can be harvested 120-150 days after sowing. Repeat harvests can be made each 30 days.

Other Information

The leaves are sold in markets. It is important in Sri Lanka.

Notes

The leaves are rich in proVitamin A. . They are also rich in iodine. It has 9.5 mg per 100 g dry weight and 5.5 mg fresh weight of alpha-tocopherol (Vitamin E).

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Acham, Agache, Agase, Agasta, Agasti phul, Agasthi, Agasti, Agathi, Agathi keerai, Agati, Agatoio, Agthio, Agust, Agusta, Agusti, Ai-turi, Akatthi, Anari, Angkea dey, Angkie dei, Athi, Avasinana, Avesi, Ayathio, Bagphal, Bak, Bakapushpam, Bakful, Bakphul, Basna, Bogbibar, Bokful, Bok ful shak, Bokphul, Brede malabar, Buko, Carebaab, Carekwaw, Chuchurangmei, Corkwood tree, Daun Turi, Dok khae baan, Feerumuranga, Geti, Hatga, Hatiya, Jerejere, Kacang turi, Kambang tuli, Kathuru murunga, Katuray, Katurumurunga kolle, Ke, Khae baan, Khae-khao, Kathuru-murunga, Madga, Muni, Ogosti, Paukpan-byu, Peragathi, Peragatti, Phak khae khao, Scarlet Wisteria tree, Sesban, Shevari, Shiro-gochou, So dua, Swamp pea, Ta-hua, Tien-tsing, Toroj, Turi, Vegetable hummingbird, West Indian Pea Tree

References (109)

• Abbiw, D.K., 1990, Useful Plants of Ghana. West African uses of wild and cultivated plants. Intermediate Technology Publications and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. p 42
• Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 1755
• Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 568
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 221
• Ara, R. I. T., 2015, Leafy Vegetables in Bangladesh. Photon eBooks. p 71

More from Fabaceae

Cordeauxia edulis

Yeheb nut

Cordyla africana

Bush mango, Sunbird tree

Cordyla densiflora

Cordyla pinnata

Bush mango, Wild Mango

Cordyla richardii

Kalindi

Cordyla somalensis