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Variation in seed size may produce variation in seedling fitness, but the relationship is not simple. Differences in seed size within and among species may not have the same effects. We examined effects of differences in seed size within and among three species of Sesbania, S. macrocarpa, S. drummondii, and S. vesicaria, on seedling emergence and growth in the greenhouse and the field. Of the three species, the largest‐seeded species, S. vesicaria, produced the largest, longest‐lived seedlings in both the greenhouse and the field. Even though plant size differed, annual S. macrocarpa produced the same seed mass as annual S. vesicaria in the greenhouse. Within‐species effects were less clear. In the greenhouse, S. vesicaria seedlings grown from large seeds remained largest until maturity, but the other species did not exhibit this effect. Some persistent within‐species effects of seed size differences on …