Leucaena leucocephala

Leucaena leucocephala
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Leucaena
Species:
L. leucocephala
Binomial name
Leucaena leucocephala
Synonyms[3]
  • Acacia frondosa Willd.
  • Acacia glauca (L.) Willd.
  • Acacia leucocephala (Lam.) Link
  • Acacia leucophala Link
  • Leucaena glabra Benth.
  • Leucaena glauca[2] Benth.
  • Mimosa glauca sensu L.1763 Misapplied
  • Mimosa glauca Koenig ex Roxb.
  • Mimosa leucocephala Lam.
  • Mimosa leucophala Lam.

Leucaena leucocephala is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala)[1][4] and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia.

Common names include white leadtree,[5] white popinac,[1] horse tamarind,[1] ipil-ipil,[6][7] koa haole,[8] and tan-tan.[9]

Leucaena leucocephala is used for a variety of purposes, such as fencing, soil fertility, firewood, fiber, and livestock fodder.

  1. ^ a b c d "Leucaena leucocephala". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2010-01-18.
  2. ^ Corner, E. J. H. (1997). Wayside Trees of Malaya. Vol. I (4th ed.). Malayan Nature Society. p. 413.
  3. ^ "Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2024. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  4. ^ Hughes, Colin E. (1998). Monograph of Leucaena (Leguminosae-Mimosoideae). Systematic botany monographs v. 55. ISBN 978-0-912861-55-5.
  5. ^ "PLANTS Profile for Leucaena leucocephala (white leadtree)". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
  6. ^ Shelton, H.M.; Brewbaker, J.L. (eds.). "2.1 Leucaena leucocephala – the Most Widely Used Forage Tree Legume". Forage tree legumes in tropical agriculture. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  7. ^ Matthews, Donald Maxwell (1914). Ipil-ipil: A firewood and reforestation crop (Leucaena glauca (L.) Benth). Forestry Bureau Bulletin. Vol. 13. Manila: Bureau of Printing, Philippine Islands, Bureau of Forestry.
  8. ^ "Koa haole, leucaena" (PDF). Common Forest Trees of Hawaii (Native and Introduced). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Plants – Buck Island Reef". National Park Service (US). Retrieved 19 January 2023.