Vegetable Hummingbird (Sesbania grandiflora), also known as agati or hummingbird tree, is a fast-growing small tree in the Fabaceae family whose large, showy flowers, tender leaves, and young pods are all eaten as vegetables across tropical Asia. Its crimson or white flowers, which resemble a hummingbird in flight, give the tree its evocative common name and make it as ornamental as it is edible.
• Almost every part of the tree is edible — flowers, leaves, young pods, and even bark extracts are used
• One of the fastest-growing tropical legume trees, capable of reaching 4 to 5 meters in its first year
• The large, showy flowers are among the most beautiful edible flowers in the world
• The genus name Sesbania derives from "Saisaban," an Arabic name for these plants
• The species epithet "grandiflora" means "large-flowered," an apt description of the 7 to 10 cm blooms
• Long cultivated across India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines
• Exact wild origin is uncertain due to millennia of cultivation
• Now pantropical in distribution through intentional planting
• Has been naturalized in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of South America
• Mentioned in ancient Indian Ayurvedic texts as a medicinal and food plant
• Introduced to the Americas as an ornamental and agroforestry species
• Widely planted throughout the Pacific islands
Trunk and Branches:
• Typically 3 to 8 meters tall, occasionally reaching 12 meters
• Trunk diameter 15 to 30 cm
• Bark is light gray, smooth, becoming slightly fissured with age
• Branches are ascending, forming a narrow, open crown
• Wood is soft and light
Leaves:
• Large, bipinnate, 15 to 30 cm long, with 20 to 50 pairs of small oblong leaflets per pinna
• Leaflets are 1 to 2.5 cm long, gray-green above, paler beneath
Flowers:
• Very large, showy, 7 to 10 cm long
• Two main color forms: crimson-red and white (also pink varieties)
• Typical papilionaceous pea-flower shape with a large curved standard petal
• Borne in loose, pendulous racemes of 2 to 5 flowers
• Resemble small hummingbirds hovering at the branch tips
Pods:
• Long, slender, cylindrical legume pods 20 to 60 cm long and 6 to 8 mm wide
• Green when young, turning brown at maturity
• Contain 15 to 50 small brown seeds
• Young pods are tender and edible
Flowers (per 100 g):
• Rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium
• Contain significant iron and phosphorus
• Provide protein (approximately 2 to 3 g per 100 g)
Leaves (per 100 g):
• Good source of protein (approximately 6 to 8 g per 100 g — high for leaves)
• Rich in vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin C, and vitamin B complex
• Excellent calcium content (approximately 150 to 200 mg per 100 g)
• Contain iron, phosphorus, and dietary fiber
Young Pods:
• Provide dietary fiber, vitamin C, and moderate protein
• Contain calcium and iron
General:
• All parts contain significant amounts of saponins and tannins with potential health benefits
• The high protein content of leaves makes this tree valuable for nutrition in tropical regions
Planting:
• Propagated from seed; seeds germinate in 3 to 7 days with no pretreatment needed
• Direct sow or transplant seedlings at the start of the rainy season
• Space trees 3 to 5 meters apart
• Can also be propagated from cuttings
Growing:
• Extremely fast-growing — can reach 3 to 4 meters in the first year
• Thrives in hot, humid tropical lowlands below 800 meters elevation
• Prefers full sun and moist, well-drained soils
• Tolerates a wide range of soil types including acidic and waterlogged soils
• Fixes nitrogen through rhizobial associations
• Short-lived tree, typically productive for 5 to 8 years
• Responds well to pruning, which encourages bushier growth
Harvest:
• Flowers can be harvested within the first year of planting
• Young leaves and shoot tips harvested regularly
• Young pods picked when tender, 15 to 30 cm long
• Regular harvesting encourages continued production
Culinary Uses:
• Flowers: the primary edible part — used in curries, stir-fries, soups, and salads across Southeast Asia
• In Thai cuisine, flowers are added to sour soup (tom yam) and stir-fried with eggs
• In the Philippines, flowers are added to sinigang (sour soup) and dinengdeng
• In India, flowers are cooked in dal, pakora (fritters), and chutneys
• Young pods: sliced and cooked in curries or stir-fries, similar to long beans
• Young leaves: eaten raw in salads or cooked as a potherb
• The white-flowered form is generally preferred for cooking as it is less bitter
Other Uses:
• Leaves used as high-protein livestock fodder
• Bark and roots used in traditional Ayurvedic and Siddha medicine
• Planted as a living fence, windbreak, or shade tree
• Used in agroforestry systems as a nitrogen-fixing support tree
• Wood used for light construction and pulp
• Flowers attract pollinators and hummingbirds
재미있는 사실
The flowers of the Vegetable Hummingbird tree are so large and vividly colored that they are sometimes used as edible garnishes at high-end restaurants in Bangkok — yet in rural villages across India and Southeast Asia, they are an everyday vegetable sold for pennies in local markets.
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