Sesbania grandiflora

Sesbania grandiflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae[1]
Genus: Sesbania
Species: S. grandiflora
Binomial name
Sesbania grandiflora
(L.) Poiret
Synonyms
  • Aeschynomene coccinea L.f.
  • Aeschynomene grandiflora (L.) L.
  • Agati coccinea (L.f.) Desv.
  • Agati grandiflora (L.) Desv.
  • Agati grandiflora var. albiflora Wight & Arn.
  • Agati grandiflora var. coccinea (L.f.) Wight & Arn.
  • Coronilla coccinea (L.f.) Willd.
  • Coronilla grandiflora (L.) Willd.
  • Coronilla grandiflora Boiss.
  • Dolichos arborescens G. Don
  • Dolichos arboreus Forssk.
  • Emerus grandiflorus (L.) Kuntze
  • Resupinaria grandiflora (L.) Raf.
  • Robinia grandiflora L.
  • Sesban coccinea (L.f.) Poir.
  • Sesban grandiflora (L.) Poir. [Spelling variant]
  • Sesban grandiflorus (L.) Poir.
  • Sesbania coccinea (L.f.) Pers. [2]

Sesbania grandiflora (syn. Aeschynomene grandiflora, Agati grandiflora)[3] (Tamil: அகத்திக்கீரை) also known as vegetable hummingbird,[4] agati or hummingbird tree, is a small tree in the genus Sesbania.

Description

It is a fast-growing tree, leaves are regular and rounded and the flowers white and red in color according to its species. The fruits look like flat, long and thin green beans. The tree thrives under full exposure to sunshine and is extremely frost sensitive.

It is a small soft wooded tree up to 3–8 m, leaves 15–30 cm long; leaflets 10–20 pairs or more and an odd one. Oblong, 1.5–3.5 cm long variety red, 7.5–10 cm long in lax, 2–4 flower racemes, calyx campanulate, shallowly 2-lipped. Pods slender, falcate or straight, 30–45 cm long, suture thick, Seeds ca. 30, to 8 mm.

a twig of sesbania
Steamed Sesbania grandiflora flowers (bottom), among other vegetables; Thai cuisine.
Flowers of S. grandiflora
Flowers of S. grandiflora. Red variant
Sesbania flower, raw
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 113 kJ (27 kcal)
6.73 g
0.04 g
1.28 g
Vitamins
Thiamine (B1)
(7%)

0.083 mg

Riboflavin (B2)
(7%)

0.081 mg

Niacin (B3)
(3%)

0.43 mg

Folate (B9)
(26%)

102 μg

Vitamin C
(88%)

73 mg

Minerals
Calcium
(2%)

19 mg

Iron
(6%)

0.84 mg

Magnesium
(3%)

12 mg

Phosphorus
(4%)

30 mg

Potassium
(4%)

184 mg

Link to USDA Database entry
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Origin and distribution

Indigenous from Malaysia to North Australia; cultivated in many parts of India and Sri Lanka. It has a large number of traditional uses.[5] It grows where there is good soil and hot, humid temperature. Will die in snowy or cold weather, fully tropical plant.

Chemical constituent

It contains arginine, cysteine, histidine, isolcucine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, valine, threonine, alanine, aspargine, aspartic acid, oleanolic acid, galactose, rhamnose & glucuronic acid.

Properties and uses of different parts

Leaves used as tonic, diuretic, laxative, antipyretic, chewed to disinfect mouth and throat. Flower in headache, dimness of vision,[6] Catarrh, Headache, cooling and improving appetite, bitter, astringent, acrid, antipyretic. Bark is used for cooling (ayurvedha and siddha medicinal terms), bitter tonic, anthelmintic, febrifuge, diarrhea, Small pox, Astringent.[7] Fruits in Bitter and acrid, laxative, fever, pain, bronchitis, anemia, tumors,[8] colic, jaundice, poisoning. Root used in Rheumatism, Expectorant, Painful swelling, Catarrh.[9]

Culinary uses

The flowers of S. grandiflora are eaten as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, like Laos, Thailand, Java in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Ilocos Region of the Philippines.

In the Thai language the flowers are called ดอกแค (dok khae) and are used in the Thai cuisine both cooked in curries, such as kaeng som and kaeng khae,[10] as well as raw with nam phrik.[11]

The young pods are also eaten, along with the leaves. In Sri Lanka, agati leaves, known as Katuru murunga in Sinhala language, are sometimes added to sudhu hodhi or white curry, a widely eaten, thin coconut gravy and is believed locally to be a cure for canker sores. In India this plant is known as agati (Tamil), agastya (Kannada), agise (Telugu), and both the leaves and the flowers have culinary uses.

Common names

See also

References

  1. ↑ Prajapti, Purohit, Sharma, Kumar , A Handbook of medicinal plants, Agro Bios (India), Edition Ist 2003, Page.473
  2. ↑ http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/ild-24585
  3. ↑ Joshi S. G. ,Medicinal Plants, Medicinal plants, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. bks)
  4. ↑ "Sesbania grandiflora". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Kirtikar K. R. & B. D. Basu, Indian Medicinal Plants Vol-I, International Book Distributor & Publisher, Dehradun, Edition 2005, bks pp. 735–736
  6. ↑ Joshi S. G. ,Medicinal Plants, Medicinal plants, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. bks
  7. ↑ Prajapti, Purohit, Sharma, Kumar , A Handbook of medicinal plants, Agro Bios (India), Edition Ist 2003, p. 473 bks
  8. ↑ Kirtikar K. R. & B. D. Basu, Indian Medicinal Plants Vol-I, International Book Distributor & Publisher, Dehradun, Edition 2005, p. 735–736 bks
  9. ↑ Late Dr. Nadkarn’s K. M, The Indian Material Medica Vol –I, Bombay Popular Prakasan, Edition-2007, p. 52–53.
  10. ↑ Kaeng Khae Kai (Katurai Chilli Soup with Chicken)
  11. ↑ Thailand Illustrated Magazine
  12. ↑ Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries - Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary page 4
  13. ↑ Page 368 from Matthes, B. F. Boegineesch-Hollandsch woordenboek 1874
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