Louisiana Plant ID | Sesbania herbacea (coffeeweed)

FAMILY: FABACEAE

ALTERNATE COMMON NAME:

LEAVES: alternate, deciduous, pinnately compound; may be 2 feet long; many small leaflets (20-70)

FLOWER: racemes of 2 to 6 yellow, pea-like flowers

FRUIT: legume, up to 8 inches long, very narrow, less than 5 mm

FORM: annual plant, to about 2 meters

HABITAT: margins of fresh water marsh, river banks, levees in salt marshes, fields and disturbed sites

WETLAND DESIGNATION: Facultative Wetland (FACW): Usually occurs in wetlands, but may occur in non-wetlands of the Atlantic and Gulf Coast Plain Region

RANGE: Piedmont and coastal plain from New York to Florida to Texas

USES: limited use; seeds are poisonous to humans; it is often considered a weed in agricultural fields, and in areas managed for waterfowl

Best Recognition Features:

pinnately compound leaves with many leaflets
racemes with 2 to 6 yellow flowers
long, narrow legume

School of Renewable Natural Reources	Louisiana Plant Identification and Interactive Virtual Tours Dr. Chris S. Reid, Project Director \| creid4@lsu.edu LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources LSU AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA © 2003-2018 website problems or broken links: mbowen@agcenter.lsu.edu page revised: 26-Jun-2019 1:12 PM msb	LSU AgCenter
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