FABACEAE

Sesbania drummondii

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habit and fruit - an inflorescence can have up to 30 flowers, so it is not uncommon to have clusters of 5-10 fruit per inflorescence leaves - what kind of leaf arrangement is this? Are these simple or compound leaves? If compound, what type of compound leaf is it? The leaflets are distinctly apiculate at the tip.
inflorescence - these are the typical papilionoid flowers that are strongly zygomorphic.  Compare the placement of the flowers with that of the immature fruit in the picture below. flowers -  the flowers in this sub-family have petals that are differentiated into the banner, wings and  keel. This species has 10 stamens, 9 of which have the filaments fused.

sesbania.drummondii.frt..2.jpg (41765 bytes)

fruits - the ovary elongates as the fruit develops into the distinctive legume young fruits (legumes)--when these fruits mature, the seeds will detach from the pericarp.  Because of this, they rattle around inside the fruit when you shake it (and thus the common name, rattlebush).
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habit--Sesbania drummondii is a shrubby, short-lived perennial กก

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