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wand riverhemp

Sesbania virgata

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Sesbania

sesbania

Placenta I Low Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Ingrid P. Lin · CC0 · GBIF

A pioneer leguminous shrub native to riparian environments of southern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina. It fixes nitrogen by nodulating with Azorhizobium doebereinerae and grows in both well-drained and waterlogged soils, making it useful for restoring degraded land and riparian buffers. Short-lived and fast-growing, it is a good short-cycle green-manure shrub.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Placenta I
Ecological role
Pioneer
Primary stratum
Low
Strata
Low, Medium
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
Low
Waterlogging tolerance
High
Preferred soil texture
Clayey, Loamy, Silty

Morphology

Mature height
2–4 m
Recommended spacing
0.5–1.5 m
Root system
Fibrous
Root depth
Medium
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
5–10 years
Time to first harvest
4 months
Productive lifespan
5 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Wand riverhemp takes the Low stratum in the Placenta I phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High Medium Low · ≈4 m Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Tolerates waterlogging and low-fertility soils; ideal for streambanks and floodplains. Short-lived, best used as an early-establishment species.

✂️ Management & Pruning

A short-cycle pioneer that resprouts from the stump after cutting or fire, allowing successive harvests of nitrogen-rich biomass. It grows ~3 m in 6 months and peaks in biomass (~60 t/ha green mass) around flowering (~110 days) — cut or slash for chop-and-drop from then on. Being winter-deciduous, time the hardest cuts to the warm wet season. Treat it as a placeholder: cut hard and replace as longer-lived strata close in, rather than maintaining it long-term. It produces allelopathic catechin that can suppress neighbours.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: November, December, January

Fruiting months: December, January, February, March

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of wand riverhemp?

The first harvest of wand riverhemp comes around 4 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for wand riverhemp?

The recommended spacing for wand riverhemp is 0.5–1.5 m.

How tall does wand riverhemp grow?

At maturity, wand riverhemp reaches 2–4 m tall.

When does wand riverhemp fruit?

Fruiting of wand riverhemp occurs in December, January, February, March.

When does wand riverhemp flower?

Flowering of wand riverhemp occurs in November, December, January.

What stage and stratum does wand riverhemp occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, wand riverhemp belongs to the placenta i stage, occupying the low stratum.

Does wand riverhemp fix nitrogen?

Yes — wand riverhemp is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer 🪴 Nurse plant Windbreak

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Plants of the World Online (POWO), Kew (scientific_name, family, genus, biomes)
  2. Bomfeti et al. 2013, Plant Biology — Nodule development on Sesbania virgata under flooded and non-flooded conditions (nitrogen_fixer, waterlogging_tolerance, gotsch_stage, ecological_role)
  3. Floral biology of Sesbania virgata (DOAJ) (lifespan_years_min, lifespan_years_max, phenology)
  4. Embrapa Arroz e Feijão / Broto — leguminosa para recuperação do solo (time_to_first_harvest_months, spacing_min_m, pruning_notes)
  5. Secretaria de Infraestrutura e Meio Ambiente SP / IPA — Sesbania virgata (pruning_notes, waterlogging_tolerance)
  6. Pereira et al., Trees (Springer) — flooding and root anatomy of Sesbania virgata (waterlogging_tolerance, root_depth)

External references

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