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bagpod

wand riverhemp

Habit Herbs, often woody at base, to 2.5 m. Stems persistent late into following year, glabrous in age; pith spongy. Shrubs or trees, to 4 m. Stems glabrous or pilose, hairs persistent, close-pressed, golden or clear in age, developing leaves and young stems with same pubescence of simple hairs; pith solid or spongy.
Leaves

8–30+ cm;

stipules 0.9–1.1 cm, with inconspicuous inner fold 2/3 its length, inner fold and base often with stipitate, multicellular glands or glabrous;

pulvinus as long as petiole;

rachis ± glabrous, without stipitate glands, obscure gland sometimes present at petiolule base;

stipels absent;

leaflets 16–50+, blades elliptic-ovate to oblong, base acute, apex rounded-obtuse, surfaces usually glabrous.

13–25+ cm;

stipules 0.3–0.4 cm, with conspicuous inner fold throughout, hairs dense, close-pressed, inner fold and base with stipitate, multicellular glands;

pulvinus slightly more than 1/2 as long as petiole;

rachis ± sericeous, without stipitate glands, obscure gland(s) present at petiolule base;

stipels reduced in size between successive leaflets, long-filamentous glandular;

leaflets 28–36+, blades elliptic-ovate to oblong, base acute, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces silky sericeous abaxially, usually glabrous adaxially.

Inflorescences

1–6+-flowered, racemes.

5–15+-flowered, racemes.

Peduncles

(3.7–)6.4–7.4(–12.2) cm.

(0.6–)1.7–2.1(–4.1) cm.

Flowers

(8–)8.4–9(–9.7) cm;

calyx ± zygomorphic, ± persistent in fruit, lobes 5, short-acuminate, rim of tube glabrous, stalked glands sometimes present between lobes;

corolla yellow-orange, banner base with bright yellow spot, wings and keel usually darker;

banner ovate, base truncate, apex emarginate, calluses absent or as relatively small teeth at claw base, thickened, knoblike at base of blade/top of claw;

wings with basal tooth;

keel apex ± darker, acute, curved upward to slightly inward, without basal tooth;

stamens incurved within keel;

style recurved;

ovules 1–3.

(0.7–)0.9–1(–1.3) cm;

calyx ± zygomorphic, lobes 5, short-acuminate, rim of tube villose, stalked glands between abaxial lobes absent in fruit;

corolla yellow, banner venation sometimes darker;

banner ovate, base cordate-truncate, apex emarginate, becoming strongly reflexed and contorted, calluses as relatively small, acute teeth at claw base, thickened, knoblike at base of blade/top of claw;

wings without basal tooth;

keel ± same color throughout, apex acute, curved strongly inward, without basal tooth;

stamens incurved within keel;

style recurved;

ovules 4–6.

Legumes

tan-brown, often with horizontal mottling in age, flattened-inflated, flat to elliptic in cross section, straight, (4.5–)6.1–6.7(–8.2) × (1.1–)1.2–1.3(–1.6) cm, beak gradually tapered, flattened, (0.4–)0.5–0.6(–0.7) cm, tardily dehiscent;

stipe (0.8–)1.1–1.2(–1.5) cm.

red- to gray-brown, without horizontal mottling in age, 4-angled, square in cross section, straight or slightly falcate, (0.8–)4.4–5.5(–6.5) × (0.7–)0.8(–0.9) cm, thick, woody, seed chambers apparent in young fruits becoming obscure at maturity, margins of young fruits with shallow thin ridges resembling early wings of S. punicea or S. drummondii, ridges becoming thickened and rounded at maturity, beak short-pyramidal, (0.2–)0.4–0.7(–1.3) cm, indehiscent;

stipe (0.4–)0.5–0.6(–0.9) cm.

Seeds

1 or 2(or 3), gray-brown to reddish, without mottling, reniform, not easily released, enveloped in indehiscent, papery endocarp.

(1–)4 or 5(or 6), reddish brown to gray, without mottling, reniform-orbicular.

2n

= 12.

= 12.

Sesbania vesicaria

Sesbania virgata

Phenology Flowering early summer–early fall. Flowering early summer–early fall.
Habitat Wet areas, riparian, wetlands, coastal, agricultural fields, disturbed sites. Wet areas, ripar­ian, wetlands, coastal, disturbed sites.
Elevation 0–500 m. (0–1600 ft.) 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; MO; MS; NC; OK; SC; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; MS; South America [Introduced also in se Mexico (Veracruz), West Indies, Central America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Sesbania disperma Pursh is an illegitimate name and Glottidium floridanum (Willdenow) de Candolle is a superfluous name; both pertain here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Sesbania virgata is native to northern Argentina and southern Paraguay and has been introduced to numerous port cities in the Americas. In the flora area, it is known from the Pensacola, Florida, region and from several populations along the coastline southeastward to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties and westward to Harrison County, Mississippi. The most distinguishing characteristic of the species is the quadrangular pod.

Sesbania affinis De Wildeman (1904) is a later homonym (not Schrader ex de Candolle 1825) that pertains here.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sesbania Fabaceae > subfam. Faboideae > Sesbania
Sibling taxa
S. drummondii, S. grandiflora, S. herbacea, S. punicea, S. sericea, S. virgata
S. drummondii, S. grandiflora, S. herbacea, S. punicea, S. sericea, S. vesicaria
Synonyms Robinia vesicaria, Icon. pl., Aeschynomene platycarpa, Colutea floribunda, Dalbergia polyphylla, Emerus vesicarius, Glottidium floridanum var. atrorubrum, G. vesicarium, G. vesicarium var. atrorubrum, G. vesicarium var. sericeum, Phaca floridana, S. platycarpa, S. vesicaria var. atrorubra Aeschynomene virgata, Agati virgata, Coursetia virgata, Emerus marginatus, S. marginata, S. tetragona
Name authority (Jacquin) Elliott: Sketch Bot. S. Carolina 2: 222. (1823) (Cavanilles) Poiret in J. Lamarck et al.: Encycl. 7: 129. (1806) — (as Sesban)
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