California Invasive Plant Council

Sesbania punicea

Synonyms: Sesbania punicea, Sesbania tripetii, Daubentonia punicea

Common names: scarlet Wisteria; red Sesbania; rattlebox; Chinese Wisteria

Sesbania punicea (red Sesbania, scarlet Wisteria) is a deciduous shrub or small tree (family Fabaceae), up to 4 meters tall. Sesbania punicea is mostly found in riparian areas in the Central Valley, forming clusters so thick that access to the river becomes difficult to impossible. It displaces native plants used by wildlife and contributes to bank erosion and flooding.

Cal-IPC Rating: High?

Explanation of Cal-IPC ratings

• High – These species have severe ecological impacts on physical processes, plant and animal communities, and vegetation structure. Their reproductive biology and other attributes are conducive to moderate to high rates of dispersal and establishment. Most are widely distributed ecologically.
• Moderate – These species have substantial and apparent-but generally not severe-ecological impacts on physical processes, plant and animal communities, and vegetation structure. Their reproductive biology and other attributes are conducive to moderate to high rates of dispersal, though establishment is generally dependent upon ecological disturbance. Ecological amplitude and distribution may range from limited to widespread.
• Limited – These species are invasive but their ecological impacts are minor on a statewide level or there was not enough information to justify a higher score. Their reproductive biology and other attributes result in low to moderate rates of invasiveness. Ecological amplitude and distribution are generally limited, but these species may be locally persistent and problematic.
• Alert – An Alert is listed on species with High or Moderate impacts that have limited distribution in California, but may have the potential to spread much further.
• Watch – These species have been assessed as posing a high risk of becoming invasive in the future in California.

CDFA Rating: -*?

Explanation of CDFA ratings

• A – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and is either not known to be established in California or it is present in a limited distribution that allows for the possibility of eradication or successful containment.
• B – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is of limited distribution.
• C – A pest of known economic or environmental detriment and, if present in California, it is usually widespread.
• D – An organism known to be of little or no economic or environmental detriment, to have an extremely low likelihood of weediness, or is known to be a parasite or predator.
• Q – An organism or disorder suspected to be of economic or environmental detriment, but whose status is uncertain because of incomplete identification or inadequate information.
• * – An asterisk next to the rating indicates that a plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds.
• -* – This plant is included in the CCR Section 4500 list of California State Noxious Weeds, but is otherwise not rated.

More details

Assessment(s)

Sesbania punicea Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Weed Management Notes

• Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

• Carex pendula... and yelling at the ocean. Williams, Andrea. Vol 22, Issue 2
• Prioritizing Regional Response to Invasive Plants in the Sierra Nevada. Brusati, Elizabeth; Morawitz, Dana; Powell, Cynthia. Vol 19, Issue 2
• Invasive plant conference in South Africa. Darin, Gina. Vol 17, Issue 3
• Controlling red sesbania in Dry Creek. Buck, Peter; Lucas, Shannon. Vol 13, Issue 2
• Don’t sell a pest: A new partnership to prevent plant invasions through horticulture. Connick, Sarah; Gerel, Mike. Vol 13, Issue 2
• The hunt for red sesbania: Biology, spread, and prospects for control. Hunter, John; Platenkamp, Gerrit A.J.. Vol 11, Issue 2

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

• Partnering with California Conservation Corps on large scale weed removal in the Oroville Wildlife Area. Ferrara, Holly (2019)
• Biology and control of Sesbania punicea seed banks by solarization. Hunter, Robin (2015)
• Population expansion and regional management of red sesbania (Sesbania punicea) in California. Robison, R.; Pooley, D.; Barve., N. (2011)
• Dry Creek Watershed red sesbania control project – Initial successes and challenges. May, Loran; Lucas, Shannon; Evans, Eric; Buck, Peter (2005)
• 2002 Red alert! New introductions and recent expansions in California. Tu, Mandy; Randall, John M. (2002)

Other Sesbania punicea Information

• Bugwood - National database from the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at the University of Georgia.
• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Calflora - Distribution map and records of this species in California.
• CalWeedMapper - Distribution map of this species in California with ability to determine regional priorities.
• EDDMapS - Distribution of this species in North America.
• Jepson Interchange - Information on this plant's taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
• USDA PLANTS Database - Information on identification and distribution, with links to websites in individual states.

Additional photos