Hummingbird trees ( Sesbania grandiflora ) are answers for temperate zone gardeners in search of rapidly growing , eye - catching Tree . Also called agati and hummingbird vegetable , these pea family trees have striking , white or red clusters of summer blooms against deep green , feathery leaf . Up to 32 ft high , hummingbird tree are as utilitarian as they are cosmetic .
Habitat
aboriginal to forests across tropical Asia , India , Indonesia , Australia and the Philippines , waste hummingbird tree also grow along roadsides and other disturbed areas , including agricultural website . They are under cultivation in several African state , Hawaii , Florida , Jamaica and other tropical regions of the Western Hemisphere .
Growing Conditions
Moisture - loving hummingbird Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree thrive on 78 to 156 column inch of one-year rainfall . They deal flooding more successfully than drouth , harmonize to the National Tropical Botanical Garden . In place landscapes , they take on alkaline or acidulent soil and perform best in full Lord’s Day and fertile , well - drained locations . The frost - susceptible trees need mean yearly temperature between 71 and 86 degree Fahrenheit .
Foliage
The hummingbird Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ’s compound , gullible leaves have from five to 15 leaflet brace order oppositely along their stems . Each elliptical or oblong leafage can produce close to 1 foot long .
Flowers
The hummingbird tree has hanging clusters of up - to-3 1/2 column inch , white , pink or ruddy flowers similar to those of pea plants . Blooming as early on as the summertime of its second class , Sesbania draws pollinating snort and bees to the garden . pollinate trees give rise fruit and seeds within six week .
Wood
Hummingbird tree rise quickly enough – between 14 and 18 substructure per class for some Australian trees – to grow harvestable amount of wood in only two twelvemonth . The blank wood , however , is very voiced . permit Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to grow for five geezerhood lets the wood harden enough for use in light construction . The flaccid wood , an important source of report pulp in Java , also provide fuel . Because these trees recoup quickly after harvest home , harvesting can occur on a two- to five - year docket .
Medicine
Southeastern Asian people have traditionally used every part of the hummingbird Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree for medicinal purposes . Its stem make poultices to treat fevers , remark the National Tropical Botanical Garden . Cambodians fight itch infestations with its suppress barque . citizenry of the Malaysian Peninsula apply its crush leaf to bruises . The leave of absence ' juices are a remedy for worms and gout . Its bark is a Filipino discussion for oral ulcers .
Food Sources
flower of white - flowered hummingbird trees are edible after stewing , or as buffet and deep-fried vegetables . They make salad or curry ingredients . Also edible , red hummingbird tree flowers have a bitter gustatory modality that discourages far-flung consumption , mention the National Tropical Botanical Garden .
