COMMON NAME:- AGATHI
OTHER NAMES:
Gaach-munga
Agasti
Agase
Agastee
Avisi
Heta
Kembang
turi
Pka angkea
dey
Kathuru Murunga
FAMILY: Fabaceae
HABIT : Soft wooded, small tree.
Sesbania grandiflora is a small
erect, fast-growing, and sparsely branched tree that reaches 10 m in height.
This plant has pinnately compound leaves in which each leaf is divided into multiple leaflets.
Agati leaves can be up to 30 cm long with 5-15 paired leaflets that are oblong to elliptic in shape and about 3 cm in length.
Agati leaves can be up to 30 cm long with 5-15 paired leaflets that are oblong to elliptic in shape and about 3 cm in length.
The flowers are large (7–9 cm long) and are
borne on an unbranched.The flower bud is sickle shaped, red or white in colour.
The flowers are similar in shape and
arrangement to Pea flowers with five petals that are differentiated into a
standard. The fruit is a thin pod which can be up to 60 cm long and contains
from 15-50 seeds.
MEDICINAL VALUE:-
Agathi is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin A.
It is used as a medicine for rheumatism, fever, arthritis, scabies and
night blindness.
Leaves, flowers, tender fruits, roots and barks are used in medicines.
Folkloric:
Juice of the leaves used for cough,nasal catarrh and headaches.
For better vision.
For healing wounds.
Bark is used as astringent (used to contract the tissuesand stop bleeding or secretion)
FOOD VALUE:-
The flowers, young leaves and tender
pods of the white flowered Agati are
edible .
They are prepared by blanching in
boiling water for less than a minute or may be dipped in batter and fried in
butter. The flowers are eaten as vegetables alone or mixed into curries or
salads.
METHOD OF CULTIVATION:-
LOCAL NAMES: AGASTHI (Malayalam),
HUMMING BIRD TREE, SCARLET WISTERIA,SWAMP PEA (English),
AGASTI, HATHYA, MUNIDRUMAM (Sanskrit)
BASNA , GAACH MUNGA (Hindi),
AKATHI (Tamil),
AGASE (Tamil),
AVISI (Telugu).
