Uses:
– Leucaena species are grown for green manure, charcoal, livestock fodder, and soil conservation.
– Seeds (jumbie beans) are used as beads.
– Planted for firewood on 120km area yields energy equivalent to 1 million barrels of oil per year.
– Anthelmintic medicines are made from extracts of Leucaena seeds in Sumatra, Indonesia.
– Some species have edible fruits and seeds; high mimosine levels in some species may lead to hair loss and infertility.
Species:
– 24 accepted species include Leucaena collinsii, Leucaena confertiflora, Leucaena cruziana, Leucaena cuspidata, and Leucaena diversifolia.
– Species like Leucaena esculenta, Leucaena greggii, Leucaena involucrata, Leucaena lanceolata, and Leucaena lempirana are found in various regions.
– Other species are Leucaena leucocephala, Leucaena macrophylla, Leucaena magnifica, Leucaena matudae, and Leucaena multicapitula.
– Species like Leucaena pallida, Leucaena pueblana, Leucaena pulverulenta, Leucaena retusa, and Leucaena salvadorensis are also part of the genus.
– Leucaena shannonii, Leucaena trichandra, Leucaena trichodes, and Leucaena zacapana are among the recognized species.
Hybrids:
– Leucaena × mixtec
– Leucaena × spontanea
Formerly placed here:
– Acacia glauca (L.) Moench
– Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth.
– Schleinitzia fosbergii Nevling & Niezgoda
– Schleinitzia insularum (Guill.) Burkart
References:
– Leucaena Benth. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
– Leucaena Benth. TROPICOS. Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
– Leucaena Benth. Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2010-03-23.
– Mabberley, D.J. (1997). The Plant-Book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants (2nded.).
– Glen, Hugh (2004). Sappi Whats in a Name? Jacana Media.