| Leucaena leucocephala | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Fabales |
| Family: | Fabaceae |
| Subfamily: | Mimosoideae |
| Tribe: | Mimoseae |
| Genus: | Leucaena |
| Species: | L. leucocephala |
| Binomial name | |
| Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit[1] |
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| Synonyms | |
|
Leucaena glauca (L.) Benth.[2] |
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Leucaena leucocephala is a species of small Mimosoid tree that is native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala)[1][3] but now naturalized throughout the tropics. Common names include White Leadtree,[4] Jumbay, and White Popinac.[5] The specific name is derived from the Greek words λευκό, meaning "white", and κέφαλος, meaning "head", referring to its flowers.[6] It is known as Subabool in India. L. leucocephala is used for a variety of purposes, such as firewood, fiber and livestock fodder.
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During the 1970s and 1980s it was promoted as a "miracle tree" for its multiple uses.[7] 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.[2]
The legume is promoted in several countries of South-East Asia (at least Burma, Cambodia, Laos[8] and Thailand), most importantly as a source of quality animal feed, but also for residual use for firewood or charcoal production.
The legume provides an excellent source of high protein cattle fodder.[9]
Leucaena leucocephala 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. It has a very fast growth rate, young trees reach a height of more than 20 ft in 2–3 years.
The young pods are edible and occasionally eaten along with Javanese vegetables salad with spicy peanut sauce and spicy fish wrapped in papaya or taro leaves in Indonesia, papaya salad in Laos[10] and in Thailand, where they are known as phakatin Thai: ผักกระถิน.[11]
Leucaena leucocephala is highly invasive in the arid parts of Taiwan, the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, and northern Australia.[12], as well as in South America and Europe [13]. It grows quickly, and forms dense thickets which crowd out any native vegetation.[14] L. leucocephala is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species by the Invasive Species Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission.[2]
The plant is also found in California, Arizona, Texas and Florida and is considered weedy or invasive by some authorities.[15]
This species is susceptible to insect infestations. In the 1980s, there was widespread loss in Southeast Asia due to pest attack by psyllids.[16] In India, this tree was initially promoted for afforestation due to its fast growing nature. However, it is now considered unsuitable for urban plantation because of its tendency to get uprooted in rain and wind. Eight of every ten uprooted trees in Pune were subabuls.[17]
The seeds contain mimosine, an amino acid known to be toxic to non-ruminant vertebrates (Gutteridge and Shelton 1998).[7]