Bigpodded Sesbania

Sesbania herbacea

Found in ditches, wet fields, disturbed moist and wet areas, perhaps native only in the deeper South. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

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

Sesbania herbacea — flower photograph — Jim Conrad · Public domain · Original photograph

At a glance

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

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 8 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

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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

14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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 14

Platynota rostranaOmnivorous Platynota
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

Bloom · “July to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Red, orange, yellow or purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fruit begins · “August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “Up to about 12 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Moist; Wet (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

River Hemp; Sesban

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNR
Global rank	G5?
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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