SESBANIA formosa

An attractive very fast-growing ornamental tree for the garden with white or yellowish-white pea-shaped flowers that are 7-12 cm long occur in clusters of 2-7 flowers during the dry season.
The flowers can be eaten raw or cooked. Australian Aboriginals used an infusion from the inner bark for treating sores and general illnesses.

The bark is pale grey, furrowed and corky. Young twigs are finely hairy. Leaves are pinnate to 40 cm long with 20 pairs of leaflets.
Seed pods are narrow and curved, 40-60 cm long and pointed at both ends. The seeds are bean-like, smooth, shining and dark brown.

Endemic to the Northern regions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Adaptable to most composted moist soil in a protected sunny position, drought and frost tender.

Please Note: Although many of the traditional Bush Food and Medicine plants are now commercially produced in various forms we recommend you re-search these before using them as any form of food or medicine. Some parts of the plant may not be edible or some may need to be prepared before they are safe to eat or use in any way. We do our best to describe their traditional & modern uses. It is the purchaser's responsibility to ensure they are fit for their intended use.

Grow notes:

Although seed can be sown most of the year in many parts of Australia seed is generally best sown in spring or autumn, avoid the coldest and hottest months of the year. The optimum germination temperature for germination is around 18-24°C

Seeds germinate readily, however, they do have a hard outer coating which is impervious to water. To assist in the uptake of moisture for germination to occur seed is best scarified by pre-treating with hot water.

Hot water treatment is recommended for this species.

1. Place the seed in a container and pour in just boiled water and allow to soak overnight.
2. Sow seed on the surface of a porous seed-raising mix and cover to a depth of 2mm.
3. Do not bury the seed too deeply.
4. Place in a warm shaded or semi-shaded position to avoid dying out.
5. Keep warm & moist, and avoid drying out or waterlogging the growing mix.
6. Germination should occur in 14-28 days @ 18-24°C

General note: Seeds of many natives are dormant and require specific conditions or pre-treatment for germination.
Do not be too hasty to discard seed that does not germinate, seeds will often lay dormant until the conditions are similar to their natural requirements for germination to occur. Containers put to one side will often surprise long after they were discarded.