Leucaena leucocephala
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| Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) deWit. |
Leucaena, Lead tree, Jumbay, or White popinac (Leucaena leucocephala) is a small Mimosoid tropical tree native to Mexico.[1]It is used for a variety of purposes, such as firewood, fiber and livestock feed.
It has been considered for biomass production, as its reported yield of foliage corresponds to a dried mass of 2000-20000 kg/ha/year, and that of wood 30-40 m³/ha/year, with up to twice those amounts in favourable climates. It is also efficient in nitrogen fixation, at more than 500 kg/ha/year.
During the 1970s and 1980s it was promoted as a "miracle tree" for its multiple uses.[2] It has also been described as a "conflict tree" in that it is both promoted for forage production and spreads like a weed in some places.[3]
One of the drawbacks of this species is its susceptibility to insect infestations. In the 1980s, there was widespread loss in South East Asia due to pest attack by psyllids. [4]
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[edit] Invasive Properties
Leucaena leucocephala is highly invasive in arid parts of Taiwan and the Hawaiian islands. (It is known as koa haole due to the similarity in its leaves to the endemic Hawaiian tree Acacia koa.) It grows quickly, and forms dense thickets which crowd out any native vegetation. [5]
[edit] Vernacular names in other languages
- Indonesian: petai cina
- Javanese: lamtoro or lamotorogung
- Thai: krathin (Thai: กระถิน);
- Known as Bawzagaing in Myanmar (formerly know as Burma)
- Known as koa haole on the islands of Hawai'i
- Known as Subabul in India
[edit] Gallery
_trunk_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4306.jpg/59px-Subabool_(Leucaena_leucocephala)_trunk_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4306.jpg) trunk in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
_flowers,_green_pods_&_leaves_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4299.jpg/116px-Subabool_(Leucaena_leucocephala)_flowers,_green_pods_&_leaves_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4299.jpg) flowers, green pods & leaves in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
_dried_pods_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4301.jpg/74px-Subabool_(Leucaena_leucocephala)_dried_pods_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4301.jpg) dried pods in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
_dried_pods_&_leaves_at_canopy_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4307.jpg/120px-Subabool_(Leucaena_leucocephala)_dried_pods_&_leaves_at_canopy_in_Kolkata_W_IMG_4307.jpg) dried pods & leaves at canopy in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Hughes, Colin E. (1998). Monograph of Leucaena (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae), Systematic botany monographs v. 55. ISBN 091286155X.
- ^ Gutteridge, Ross C., and H. Max Shelton. 1998. Forage Tree Legumes in Tropical Agriculture. Tropical Grassland Society of Australia, Inc., 2.1 "Leucaena leucocephala - the Most Widely Used Forage Tree Legume"
- ^ The Global Invasive Species Database, "Leucaena leucocephala (tree)"
- ^ ODI - Alley Farming
- ^ Kuo, Yau-Lun. "Ecological Characteristics of Three Invasive Plants (Leucaena Leucocephala, Mikania Micrantha, and Stachytarpheta Urticaefolia) in Southern Taiwan." 12 1 2003.http://www.agnet.org/library/eb/541/ (accessed 3 24 2008).
[edit] External links
- Handbook of Energy Crops at Purdue University: Leucaena leucocephala
- Germplasm Resources Information Network, "Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit"
- Economics of Subabul Plantation In Hegde, N.G. and Abhyanker, P.D. (eds.) The Greening of Wastelands.
Relwani, L.L. & Hegde, N.G. 1986.
