Sesbania polyphylla Miq.

Herb or subshrub, 1-3 m tall, striate and pubescent throughout exept for the flower and fruit, silky when young. Stem often with minute prickles hidden amongst the hairs but not obviously aculeate, exuding bluish, slightly milky juice after cutting. Leaves with 20-25 pairs of leaflets; stipules linear-lanceolate, up to 6 mm long, very early caducous; petiole 0.5-3 cm long; rachis 10-15 cm long; leaflets linear-oblong, up to 2 cm x 4 mm, rounded at apex, apiculate, entire. Raceme lax, axillary, 1-9 cm long, 2-7 flowered; peduncle up to 2 cm long, softly silky or pilose; pedicel 3-8 mm long, sparsely silky pilose; calyx 3-4 mm x 3 mm, tube glabrous, teeth triangular, up to 0.7 mm long; corolla yellow; standard elliptical, 6-9 mm x 8-10 mm, broader than long, pale cream, slightly flecked violet or purple; wings obovate, 5-9 mm x 3-4.5 mm; keel 7-8 mm x 4-6 mm. Pod 15-30 seeded, straight or slightly curved, up to 16 cm x 2.5-3.5 mm, not torulose, brown, glabrous. Seed 3 mm x 2 mm x 1.5 mm, brown to reddish-brown, with tiny blackish spots.

It is found in seasonally wet habitats in the tropics and subtropics. It is tolerant of waterlogging and also very tolerant of drought. It is adapted to clayey, moderately acid and alkaline soils. In trials in India, growth was retarded in soil with pH 5.6 and 9.3.

It is propagated by seed. No seed treatment is required.

When grown for green manure, S. sericea is either grown in situ or in nearby fields, field bunds or waste areas to be transported and dug in the field. Decomposition of Sesbania after ploughing in is rapid. As green manure it can be ploughed in just before transplanting rice. Delaying transplanting may result in a lower response to the green manure. In Taiwan, S. sericea is grown in the interrows in banana plantations, and sown at the time of planting banana. The legume is later cut and spread out as a mulch to control weeds and used as green manure. In the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, S. sericea is sown as a green manure in ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) fields. They are progressively thinned from around the ginger plants to provide green manure or mulch, but a few plants, spaced 2-3 m apart are left to provide a light shade. Intercropping S. sericea with maize to provide green manure for a subsequent wheat crop has been tried in India. When sown simultaneously with the maize, S. sericea smothered the maize; delaying sowing S. sericea by 6 weeks did not depress the maize yield and boosted the following wheat yield by about 20-40%. In India, growing S. sericea is often combined with applications of gypsum to improve saline-sodic soils.

Diseases: Damage caused by diseases is generally of limited and local importance only. Pests: A number of insect pests affect the leaves and stems, but damage is mostly minor.

Shade or shelter: As shade tree. Boundary or barrier or support: As hedges tree and wind-break Soil improver: Green branches and leaves are used a green manure in the production of food crops, especially rice.

Fuel: As firewood Fodder: It is suitable as a fodder.