Fabaceae FAMILY

Sesbania macrantha

Edibility

1/5

Medicinal

1/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Sesbania macrantha is a short-lived plant with a softly-woody stem. Growing 1 - 6 metres tall and becoming shrub or tree-like, it can be cultivated as an annual or is in nature a biennial to perennial plant. There are two forms; var macrantha has prickles on the stem whilst var levis is completely unarmed[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. , 348 Title Medicinal Plants of the Guianas Publication Author DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. Website http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html Publisher Smithsonian Museum Year 0 ISBN Description A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a source of medicines, fuel, soap and emergency food. It is sometimes grown to provide shade in coffee plantations and as a green manure for restoring soil fertility.

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeTropical Africa - Sierra Leone to Cote D'Ivoire, Cameroon Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe.

HabitatThe variety macrantha is found in swamps, streams and lake margins, except in the moistest parts of its range; the variety levis is found on riverbanks, usually in different areas[ 303 Title World Agroforesty Centre Publication Author Website http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc. ].