White flowering Sesbania grandiflora

15 seeds

Think Moringa with much larger flowers and slightly larger leaves.

Sesbania grandiflora also known as agati, agate or hummingbird tree is a small tree in the genus Sesbania and is believed to have originated either in India or Southeast Asia. Regular Agati grows to a height of 5 – 10 meters but the dwarf variety usually tops out at 3 - 5 meters.. Plants can begin producing flowers in less than a year.

The white variety is preferred for edible flowers as they are the least bitter of all varieties. The stamen are removed prior to cooking to further reduces bitterness – it's not hard and the stamens were removed in steamed flowers you see in the photo. You eat the green top as well but I discard the stem pieces. Can be steamed, stir-fried, tossed into dishes like stews etc – but could be left until the last 5 minutes in most applications.

The leaves are highly nutritious and there's a breakdown of their nutritional content in the images. The seeds and pods are also edible but I haven't explored them yet as they look a bit tough to me. Sesbania grandiflora are a good source of vitamin A, folate, thiamin, niacin, and vitamin C. Flowers also provide significant of magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium.

The species is used medicinally, particularly in India.

No international shipping and I don't ship to Tas or WA due to quarantine restrictions.