Local names: Bengali: Agate, Bake Hindi: Basma, Hatiya, Agasti Sanskrit: Anari Tamil: Peragati, agate

Sesbania is a genus of flowering plants in the pea family, Fabaceae, and the only genus found in tribe Sesbanieae. Riverhemp is a common name for plants in this genus. Notable species include the rattlebox (Sesbania punicea), spiny sesbania (Sesbania bispinosa), and Sesbania sesban, which is used in cooking. Plants of this genus, some of which are aquatic, can be used in alley cropping to increase the soil's nitrogen content. The species of rhizobia responsible for nitrogen fixation in Sesbania rostrata is Azorhizobium caulinodans.  Some 60 species are currently accepted, with about 39 still unresolved. The largest number of species are found in Africa, and the remainder in Australia, Hawaii, and Asia.

Nutritive value

It contains 25-30% crude protein. Supplementation with S. grandiflora to goats fed guinea grass hay increased intake by 25% and supported a    positive

nitrogen balance. In sacco digestibility was 75% in 12 hours. Other in vitro and in sacco studies reported