Spiny Sesbania
Sesbania bispinosa

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A soft wooded, short lived shrub. It grows 1-3 m tall. It has small prickles. The leaves have leaflets along the stalk. They end abruptly. There are 50-110 leaflets and they are 1-2 cm long by 3-4 mm wide. The flowers are yellow. They hang in long stalks. The fruit are pods 15-25 cm long by 2-3 mm wide. There are 35-40 seeds.

The seeds are 32.7% protein.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows as a weed in rice fields. It grows in waterlogged ground and in waste places. It grows between 1,000-1,200 m above sea level. In Argentina it grows between 500-1,000 m above sea level. It grows in areas with an annual rainfall between 550-2,210 mm. It can grow in arid places. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Countries/locations it is found in

Afghanistan, Africa, Andaman Is., Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central Africa, Central African Republic, CAR, China, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Eswatini, Europe, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Iraq, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Laos, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mediterranean, Middle East, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Oman, Pacific, Pakistan, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Yemen, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten. The seeds are made into flour. The flowers are lightly boiled.

Edible parts

Seeds, flowers

How it is grown

It can be grown from seeds saved from the plant.

It grows quickly. It is a short lived plant.

Its other names

Local names

Dhencha, Diendien gai, Jananti, Jantar, Jayanti, Nardoo, Sanow, Sevri

Synonyms

Sesbania aculeata (Willd.) Poir.; Aeschynomene aculeata Schreb.; Aeschynomene bispinosa Jacq.; Coronilla aculeata Willd.; and others