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Scarlet Wisteria-tree

Sesbania punicea

Found in ditches, wet fields, marshes, ponded wetlands, wet pinelands. 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 71%

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
June to October
Fruiting season
August to November

Not yet recorded · Height · Spread

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 3

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.

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

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
Hardiness
Zones 8a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow, orange 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

Daubentonia punicea; Scarlet Wisteria tree

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG4
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources