River bean

River Bean (Sesbania sesban): The River Bean is a shrub that can grow to tree height of between 1 to 8m and a trunk diametre of some 1.5m. Their main habitat is riverbanks and floodplains of Kunene and Zambezi Rivers. Bark is reddish-brown to grey-green to grey-brown. Yellow flowers are produced from February to July. Slightly curved pods hold olive to brown seeds and fruit.

The leaves and young branches are browsed by game and livestock and the larvae of the Sesbania Blue butterfly feed on the leaves.