Plants of Louisiana

Sesbania vesicaria

bagpod, bag-pod, bladder pod
Family

Fabaceae

Leaf Arrangement

alternate

Leaf Attachment

petiolate

Leaf Type

compound, dissected, even-pinnate

Growth Form

forb, shrub

Flower Color

orange, pink, red, yellow

Flower Month

August - September

Height (meters)

0.9 - 4.0

Milky Sap

No

Armed/Unarmed

Unarmed

Origin

native

Lifespan

annual

Growing Season

Warm season

Wetland Class

FAC

Wetland Coefficient of Conservatism

2

Field Characters

Fruit short and flat. Wing and keel petals auriculed at one side of the base of the blade; pod flattened. Tall weedy annual with leaflets apiculate apically.

Cultural Information

An annual forb with somewhat woody stems. The compound leaves are 10-15 cm long with 20 to 40 leaflets. The flowers are 6-9 mm long and produce a 2.5-8 cm long fruit (legume) that is oblong to ellipsoid (responsible for the common name bladder pod) on a

Animal Use

Commercial seed reported to have a purity of 99 % and a germination rate of 90%. There are 1,500 seeds/lb. The recommended planting rate is 20-30 lb/acre (USDA 1948).

Natural History

Correll, D. S., and M. C. Johnston. 1979. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson. 1881 pp. Lasseigne, A. 1973. Louisiana legumes. Southeastern Studies: Science Series, No. 1. University of Southwestern Lo