Trees, 4-10 m tall, d.b.h. to 25 cm. Branches terete, leaf scars and stipule scars conspicuous. Stipules obliquely lanceolate, to 8 mm, caducous. Leaves 20-40 cm, 20-60-foliolate; rachis terete, densely appressed pubescent when young, glabrescent; petiolules 1-2 mm; stipels acerose; leaflet blades oblong, 2-5 × 0.8-1.6 cm, smaller at both ends of rachis than in middle, both surfaces with or without dense appressed purplish brown glands and appressed villous but glabrescent, secondary veins 7 or 8 on each side of midvein but inconspicuous, base rounded to broadly cuneate, apex obtuse to retuse and with a mucro. Racemes 4-7 cm, pendulous, 2-4-flowered; bract and bracteoles ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 7-10 mm, caducous, both surfaces appressed pubescent. Flowers 7-10 cm, conspicuously falcately curved in bud. Pedicel 1-2 cm, densely appressed pilose. Calyx green, campanulate, 1.8-2.9 × 1.5-2 cm, sometimes with dots, often sub-bilabiate to subtruncate with adaxial 2 teeth connate, outside glabrous except for teeth apex, inside with appressed hairs. Corolla white, pink, or rosy; standard oblong-obovate to broadly ovate, 5-7.5 × 3.5-5 cm, reflexed at anthesis, callus absent, claw ca. 1.6 cm, base subcordate, apex retuse; wings falcately long ovate, asymmetric, ca. 5 × 2 cm, claw ca. 2 cm, apex obtuse; keel curved, ca. 5 cm, claw ca. 2 cm, limbs with basal abaxial edges connate, apical 1/4-1/3 free, apex obtuse. Stamens ca. 9 mm; anthers linear, 4-5 mm, dorsifixed. Pistil linear, ca. 8 cm, compressed, falcately curved, glabrous; ovary stipitate; stigma slightly turgid. Legume linear, slightly curved, nodding, 20-60 cm × 7-8 mm, ca. 8 mm thick, dehiscent, carpopodium ca. 5 cm, suture angulate at maturity, apex tapering into a 3-4 cm beak. Seeds reddish brown, ellipsoid to subreniform, ca. 6 × 3-4 mm, slightly compressed, turgid, slightly glossy; hilum rounded, retuse. Fl. and fr. Sep-Apr. 2n = 24.
Sesbania grandiflora (L.) Pers., Syn. Pl. 2: 316. 1807; Robinia grandiflora L.
Arboles pequeños, 8 m de alto; tallos tomentosos. Hojas 1831 cm de largo; folíolos 3040, 2245 mm de largo y 612 mm de ancho. Inflorescencia 78 cm de largo, 24 flores, pedicelo 1320 mm de largo y 0.81 mm de ancho, 22.2 mm de ancho en fruto; cáliz 2530 mm de largo (incluyendo la base angosta y larga), ápice truncado a undulado, eroso; estandarte 5.59.5 cm de largo y 34 cm de ancho, rosado o rojo-purpúrea. Legumbres 2550 cm de largo y 59 mm de ancho, valvas membranáceas, levemente contraídas entre las semillas, márgenes fuertemente engrosados, distintamente undulados, dehiscentes; semillas 1923, 56 mm de largo.
Cultivada; 40500 m; fl y fr sep, dic; Nee 27955, Stevens 21942; nativa del sureste de Asia, cultivada en todos los trópicos.
Small tree to 8 m tall, young parts hairy, soon becoming glabrous. Leaves alternate, even pinnate with (18-)20-40(-50) narrowly elliptic to oblong leaflets; leaflets ca. 7-10 mm wide, 25-35 mm long, rounded at the tip and base; petiole ca. 1 cm long; petiolules ca. 2 mm long, the rachis to 25 cm long; stipels minute; stipules narrowly triangular, to ca. 5 mm long, apparently deciduous. Inflores- cence of 2-4 flowered axillary racemes, pedicels to 2 cm long, thin. Flowers large and showy, ca. 6-9 cm long; hypanthium ca. 10-18 mm long, not including the narrowed base, 15-18 mm wide (flattened out); teeth low to absent, the hypan- thium rim variously erose; petals white, rosy white, or red; standard ca. 50-80 mm long, 40 mm wide, claw and basal auricles ca. 15 mm long; wing petals ca. 50-80 mm long, 20 mm wide, the claw ca. 20 mm long; keel petals upcurved, ca. 60 mm long with basal auricles, claw ca. 1/2 the length of the blade; stamens with the sheath to 80-90 mm long, 3 mm wide, strongly upcurved. Fruits long and narrow, to 50 cm long, ca. 0.6-0.9 cm wide, beaked, the stipe to 4 cm long; surface more or less flat or slightly indented between the seeds, smooth, dull; margins thickened and raised above the valve surface, also slightly indented be- tween the seeds; seeds numerous.
Soft-wooded tree, 6-10 m tall. Leaf c. 13-30 cm long; leaflets 30-60, c. 1.8-3 cm long, 5-10 mm broad, oblong, obtuse, glabrous; stipules minute, deciduous. Inflorescence an axillary raceme, 2-4-flowered. Calyx c. 2.5 cm long, glabrous, somewhat 2-lipped. Corolla white or red. Vexillum c. 7-10 cm. Fruit c. 30-50 cm long, c. 8 mm wide, 25-35-seeded, svture much thickened.
Old World in origin and is widely cultivated in the warmer parts of the world.