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Bigpodded Sesbania

Sesbania exaltata

Found in ditches, wet fields, disturbed moist and wet areas, perhaps native only in the deeper South. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

-30
Harmful

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
Up to about 12 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Moist to wet

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Mississippi.

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
July to October
Fruiting season
August to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 43 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Sesbania

  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Gesta baptisiaeWild Indigo Duskywing, Baptisia Duskywing
  • Gesta zaruccoZarucco Duskywing
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Show all 15
  • Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
  • Selenisa sueroidesTailpipes, Pale-Edged Selenisa Moth
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Sesbania

  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Francolinus francolinusBlack Francolin
  • Zenaida asiaticaWhite-winged Dove
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Red, orange, yellow or purple
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

River Hemp; Sesban; Sesbania exaltata

Conservation status

Mississippi rankSNR
Global rankG5?
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources