Herbs, [trees or shrubs], to 6 m. Stems sometimes with prickles, sericeous, hairs persistent, golden tan; pith spongy. Leaves 10.5–22.3 cm; stipules 0.6 cm, golden tan-sericeous, with conspicuous inner fold 3/4 its length, base of fold unlike other Sesbania with additional shorter fold that parallels long one, inner fold without stipitate, multicellular glands, glands often present at base; pulvinus more than 1/2 as long as petiole; rachis sericeous, with stipitate glands in canal; stipels long, narrow, ± glandular; leaflets 34–96+, blades elliptic-ovate to broadly linear, base obtuse to acute, apex truncate to rounded obtuse, surfaces sericeous, hairs dense, golden tan abaxially, usually glabrous adaxially. Peduncles (0.2–)0.5–0.6(–1.5) cm. Inflorescences 1–18+-flowered, racemes. Flowers (0.7–)0.8–0.9(–1.9) cm; calyx actino­morphic, lobes 5, deltate-acuminate, rim of tube with net of long hairs, stalked glands present at base of sinus, absent in fruit; corolla yellow-orange, banner sometimes with purple-maroon spots on outer surface; banner ovate, base broadly tapered, apex emarginate, calluses as ridges along claw, callus apices truncate; wings without basal tooth; keel same color throughout, similar to wings, apex ± truncate, curved upward to inward towards calyx, with basal tooth; stamens curved inward within keel; style recurved towards banner; ovules 18–32. Legumes reddish brown, with horizontal mottling, narrow-elongate, terete to elliptic in cross section, straight to falcate, (1.7–)10–12.7(–18.8) × (0.2–)0.3(–0.4) cm, beak connate, narrowly tapered, 0.2(–0.4) cm, tardily elastic dehiscent; stipe (0.1–)0.2(–0.3) cm. Seeds (3–)19–24(–32), greenish gray to brownish red, without mottling, columnar. 2n = 12, 24.

Phenology: Flowering early summer–fall.
Habitat: Wet areas, riparian, wetlands, coastal, disturbed sites.
Elevation: 0–200 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Fla., Tex., Asia (Sri Lanka), introduced also in Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Africa.

Discussion

Sesbania sericea is sometimes mistaken for S. herbacea but is more limited in its distribution, found only in Florida and Texas, while S. herbacea is widespread in the flora area. Identification is straightforward when relying upon the dense tomentum of appressed hairs found on the underside of the leaves, as no other North American species of Sesbania shares this attribute.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.