98 FABACEAE 
S. cannabina (Retz.) Pers. 
Annual shrub to 2.5 m high. Stipules caducous, c. 
5 mm long. Leaf rachis 40-250(350) mm long; stipels 
persistent; leaflets in 5-36 pairs, discolorous, narrowly 
oblong, 8-29 mm long, 2-5.5 mm wide, L/W 3-6.3, 
mucronate. Inflorescence 16-80 mm long, 2-9- 
flowered. Pedicels 3.5-8 mm long; bracteoles just 
below apex. Calyx 3-6 mm long, lobes c. 1/4 of total 
length, with 1-3 minute, peg-like appendages in the 
sinuses; sparingly hairy inside lobes. Standard yellow, 
usually densely streaked or spotted with purple, 9-12 
mm long, + orbicular, calli raised along their length, 
the apices decurrent. Veins on keel margin scarcely 
divided. Pod sessile, (120)170-240 mm long, 2-4 mm 
wide. Seeds 23-40, brown or olivaceous, flattened- 
oblong, 3-3.2 mm long, 1.6-2 mm wide. Flowering 
and fruiting: most months. Fig. 28 
Widespread in the Old World and in all mainland 
Australian states except Vic. In the NT, mostly on 
seasonally flooded clay soils. Forms associated with 
brackish habitats are often stunted and have shorter 
leaves and inflorescences. 
S. erubescens (Benth.) N.T.Burb. 
Annual or short-lived perennial shrub to 3 m high. 
Leaf rachis 70-160 mm long; leaflets in 11-25 pairs, 
6-19 mm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, L/W 4-6.6. 
Inflorescence to 130 mm long, 6-13-flowered. 
Pedicels 6-11 mm long. Calyx 5-6 mm long, lobes c. 
1/5 of total length. Corolla white to mauve; standard 
reflexed at calli, (14)17-20 mm long, calli points free, 
1-1.5 mm long, obtuse; veins of keel petals much 
divided at margin. Pod stipitate, c. 220 mm long, 3.5 
mm wide. Seeds 23-40, olivaceous, mottled, c. 4 mm 
long, 2.2 mm wide. Flowering and fruiting: Mar - 
May. Fig. 28 
Australian endemic, in WA, NT and Qld. In the 
DR known only from the Daly R. floodplain, on heavy 
clay soils on seasonally flooded sites. 
S. formosa (F.Muell.) N.T.Burb. 
Evergreen trees to 15 m high, probably short lived; 
Sesbania 
bark pale, corky, fissured. Young parts finely 
sericeous, often ferruginous, becoming glabrous. 
Stipules caducous, 6-8 mm long, margins thin, 
undulate. Leaf rachis to 370 mm long; stipels 
caducous; /eaflets in (8)14-20 pairs, 19-55 mm long, 
6-17 mm wide, L/W 2.5-3.9, apex mucronate. 
Inflorescence to 170 mm long. Pedicels to 35 mm 
long; bracteoles c. 2/3 along pedicel. Calyx 17-25 mm 
long; lobes broadly triangular, 1/10-1/4 of total length, 
velutinous inside. Corolla white; standard clawed, 
elliptic, folded into auricles at the base, 70-100 mm 
long. Pod pendulous, to 450 mm long. Seeds 23-53, 
brown or black, subcylindrical, 5.5-8 mm long, c. 3 
mm wide. Flowering: Mar - Sept; fruiting: Aug - Sept. 
Fig. 28 
An Australian endemic. In perennially moist 
habitats from the Kimberley to north Qld. Infrequent 
in the DR region. Occasionally cultivated; a fast 
growing species that has been trialled for pulp 
production. This species has been confused with the 
closely related Asian species, S. grandiflora. 
S. sesban (L.) Merr. 
Annual or short-lived perennial shrub to 2 m. 
Stipules 5-6 mm long. Leaf rachis 70-130 mm long; 
stipels persistent; leaflets in (5)10-17 pairs, 
discolorous, narrow-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 
11-28 mm long, 1.8-7 mm wide, L/W 3.5-6.3. 
Inflorescence to 105 mm long, 4-8-flowered. Pedicels 
9-11 mm long; bracteoles just below apex. 
Calyx 6-8 mm long, lobes c. 1/4 total length. 
Corolla yellow, standard lightly speckled; standard 
19-22 mm long, calli prominently raised along 
their length, decurrent with claw, apices free; veins 
on keel undivided or a few once forked at margin. 
Pod flattened, slightly twisted, to 230 mm long, 
3.2-4 mm wide. Seeds 43-48, olivaceous or brown, 
3.2-4 mm long, 1.5-2.5 mm wide. Flowering and 
fruiting: Mar - May. Fig. 28 
Widespread in the Old World tropics; in Australia 
in the NT and Qld. In the DR it is known from clay 
soils of the floodplains of the Adelaide, Finniss and 
Reynolds Rs. 
SMITHIA Aiton 
A genus of c. 30 species occurring throughout the Old World tropics, but primarily in Asia and Madagascar. 
Two species occur in northern Australia with 1 in the NT and DR. [Reynolds, 1990] 
S. conferta Sm. 
An erect annual or perennial shrub with + perennial 
rootstock, to 1 m tall. Leaf rachis, leaflet margin, 
lower midrib, bracteoles and calyx hirsute with cream 
