Sesbania pachycarpa
Family: Fabaceae
What it is like
An annual herb or small shrub. It grows 1-4 m high. There are some subspecies. The stems are pithy and 15 mm thick. Young plants can have some hairs. The leaves are 19 cm long with 15-22 pairs of leaflets. These are 3 cm long and 6 mm wide. There are 3-15 flowers in a group. The fruit is a curved pod 15-22 cm long. There are 25-30 seeds. The seeds are brown with small violet dots. They are 3-3.5 mm long.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in sandy soils. It can grow in salty soils. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 500-1,400 mm. It grows in areas with seasonal temperature fluctuations between 2°-40°C. It grows between 200-1,500 m above sea level. It grows in temporary swamps. It can grow in arid places.
Countries/locations it is found in
Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Chad, Congo, East Africa, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, MalawiMali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Southern Africa, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, West Africa, Zimbabwe
How it is used for food
The seeds have a strong pea like flavour. They have a slight aroma. They can be cooked and eaten. The flowers are boiled as a potherb and also dried into cakes and eaten later. The seeds are boiled and then fermented for 2 days with the bark of Lonchicarpus laxiflorus and the pulp of Boabab fruit. This is used as a condiment and sauce.
Edible parts
Seeds, flowers, seeds - oil
How it is grown
Seed have a hard seed coat and so germination is improved by scratching. They can also have hot water poured over them and then left to soak overnight in warm water. It can be grown by cuttings.
Its other names
Local names
Banfala-dorodje, Bantala-do-rodje, Cecego, Fudjei, Gandi, Gando, Mbagag, Ngapay, Ombudje, O sasan, Sindin, Tamechmarit, Tchetcheko, Vanfala-doro