Leucaena glauca

Leucaena glauca

Leucaena glauca is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America (Belize and Guatemala) and is now naturalized throughout the tropics. Common names include white leadtree, jumbay, river tamarind, subabul, and white popinac.

Uses

Poisonous bites, Treat coughs, Treat measles, Treat scurf, Cleanse the body, Diabetes, Increase menstrual flow, Shingles

Parts Used

Leaves, Seeds,Shoots.

Chemical Composition

leucocephala leaves revealed the presence of 30 compounds and the major chemical constituents were Squalene (41.02%), Phytol (33.80%), 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol (30.86%) and 3,7,11-Tridecatrienenitrile, 4,8,12-trimethyl (25.64%).

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada
Hindi	Petai Jawa, Petai Belalang
Malayalam
Tamil
Telugu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit
English	Leucaena, White popinac

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Habit

Herb

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Double pinnate compound	alternate	Main leaf-stalk is about 10 to 18cm long, with 4 to 8 pairs of side-stalks bearing the delicate leaflets. There are 10 to 17 pairs of sessile leaflets, each about 1 to 2 cm long and 3mm wide. The leaflets are oblong-linear with an asymmetric leaf blade

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Unisexual	3 to 5 cm long	pale green	2 to 4 flower	Flower heads are small ,rounded ,about 3cm wide, creamy white with pale green petals and fragrant

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
complex	12 to 18 cm long and 1 to 2 cm wide	Ripe pods have many small, flat, brown seeds. On ripening the brown pods split to liberate the seeds	Fruit Color is Brown	single	{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings.

How to plant/cultivate

Grows on lowlands and up to an elevation of 1000m. Necessary to introduce some soil from well-established stands of Leucaena before new stands of seedling will establish. This is to ensure the presence of a mycorrhizal fungus in the soil that is necessary for the growth of the plant. Seeds need to be pretreated in 80°C water before they will germinate. Thrives with an annual rainfall of between 500 to 2000mm, and a soil pH of 5 to 8

Commonly seen growing in areas

Lowland to alpine areas, Stewart and Chatham Islands, Rocky and sandy heatland.

Photo Gallery

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  Leaves

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  Plant

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  Fruit

External Links

• Leptospermum scoparium on gardenia.net
• Leptospermum scoparium on botonical garden.org
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