Sesbania Species, False Poinciana, Purple Sesbane, Rattlebox, Scarlet Wisteria

This species has naturalized in California and 10 southeastern states from Texas to Virginia, according to BONAP. It has been reported to...Read More be destructive to natural areas, especially wetlands, over most of its naturalized range. http://www.cal-ipc.org/ip/management/plant_profiles/Sesbania... http://www.fleppc.org/list/2015FLEPPCLIST-LARGEFORMAT-FINAL....

This species is native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It has naturalized in other parts of South America and in parts of Africa, as well as the US.

South Africa has declared it a category 1 invasive plant, which means its sale, and transportation are legally prohibited.

It is also a prohibited species in Australia.

A beautiful shrub, certainly. Butterflies and Humming birds dig it.

To those who complain that Dave's Garden continues to...Read More allow these poisonous and invasive plants space on the site: Quit your whining. It is of endless valuable service that they ARE given space to educate people to these properties so they can take the proper precautions when growing these babies, so they know to remove the pods and dispose of them properly as to avoid invasiveness or harm all while enjoying their beauty and allowing our planet's diversity to endure.

This plant is a red alert in California. Nurseries which sell it face a fine in our county. The other commentators note how invasive it c...Read Morean be except in other areas, too. I don't know why Dave's Garden continues to feature plants with bad reputations. The poisonous seeds should be enough to restrain most people from buying it. The pods look like pea pods and child poisoning is possible. It has gorgeous blooms which attracts gardeners to it, but there are other plants that are not harmful which are just as beautiful - like the Lonicera featured today.

My rattleboxes have been growing in Bishopville, MD for the last 5 years on the south side of my house. There are 4 of them ranging from ...Read More7' to 15'. A bad winter can kill them to the ground, but they are root hardy and will easily reach ten feet in a single summer and bloom all the while. I've read the information regarding their invasive tendency in the south and out west, but here it doesn't seem to be an issue since I live on the threshold of its hardiness range. I think any seedling that strays too far from a protected area wouldn't survive the winter. Having said that, the hummingbirds and I can enjoy the flower production all summer without worrying it will jump the fence.