Sesbania
Sesbania is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox, spiny sesbania, and Sesbania sesban, which is used in cooking. Plants of this genus, some of which are aquatic, can be used in alley cropping to increase the soil's nitrogen content. The species of rhizobia responsible for nitrogen fixation in Sesbania rostrata is Azorhizobium caulinodans.
Some 60 species are currently accepted, with about 39 still unresolved. The genus is native to tropical and subtropical regions around the world, in the Americas from the southern United States to northern Argentina, in sub-Saharan Africa, in southern Asia, and in New Guinea, Australia, and the Pacific. The largest number of species are found in Africa, and the remainder in Australia, Hawaii, and Asia.
Fossil record
seed pods from the upper Oligocene resembling Sesbania have been found in the Hungarian locality of Eger Wind-brickyard. The fossil species grew in a swampy and riparian environment.
60 species are accepted, organized into three sections:
Section ''Glottidium'' (Desvaux) Lavin
Sesbania vesicaria Elliott
Section ''Daubentonia'' (DC.) Bentham
Sesbania drummondii CorySesbania cavanillesii S.WatsonSesbania macroptera Sesbania punicea Benth. – rattleboxSesbania virgata Poir. – wand riverhemp
Section ''Sesbania'' Adans.
Sesbania benthamiana Sesbania bispinosa W.WightSesbania brachycarpa Sesbania brevipeduncula Sesbania campylocarpa Sesbania cannabina Poir.Sesbania chippendalei Sesbania cinerascens Sesbania coccinea Sesbania coerulescens Sesbania concolor Sesbania dalzielii Sesbania dummeri Sesbania erubescens Sesbania exasperata Sesbania formosa Sesbania goetzei Sesbania grandiflora Poir.Sesbania greenwayi Sesbania hepperi Sesbania herbacea McVaugh – bigpod sesbaniaSesbania hirtistyla Sesbania hobdyi Sesbania javanica Sesbania keniensis Sesbania leptocarpa Sesbania macowaniana Sesbania macrantha Sesbania madagascariensis Sesbania mannii Sesbania melanocaulis Sesbania microphylla Sesbania mossambicensis Sesbania notialis Sesbania oligosperma Sesbania pachycarpa Sesbania paucisemina Sesbania procumbens Sesbania quadrata Sesbania rostrata Sesbania sericea Link – papagayoSesbania sesban Merr. – Egyptian riverhempSesbania simpliciuscula Sesbania somaliensis Sesbania speciosa Sesbania sphaerosperma Sesbania subalata Sesbania sudanica Sesbania tetraptera Sesbania tomentosa Hook. & Arn. – Ōhai Sesbania transvaalensis J.B.Gillett
Sesbania burbidgeae Sesbania emerus Urban – coffeebeanSesbania longifolia Sesbania marchionica Sesbania muelleri Sesbania uliginosa
Phylogeny
Modern molecular phylogenetics suggest the following relationships between the species of Sesbania: