Common Name:

General Information

Leucaena pulverulenta is a tree with a light open canopy; it is often seen as a multi-stemmed small tree or a shrub, but can grow up to 18 metres tall with a straight, cylindrical bole that can be free of branches for around half of its height and 20 - 50cm in diameter[, , , ].
The plant is harvested from the wild, and also cultivated, as a wood and fuel crop for local use. It is also grown as a shade tree in coffee plantations, as a green manure and occasionally as an ornamental and street tree, especially in southern N. America[, , ].
A widespread and abundant species. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Southern N. America - southern Texas, south to Puebla and Veracruz in southern Mexico

Habitat

An understorey tree in a variety of forest types from moist evergreen submontane to drier oak or pine-oak forest, extending into dry mattoral in some areas; often abundant in secondary vegetation, roadsides etc; at elevations up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	12.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Leucaena pulverulenta is native from the semi-arid subtropical regions of southern Texas to the tropics of southern Mexico. It is known to experience occasional light to moderate frosts, though even occasional heavy frosts are known to damage and even kill it. It grows in areas of seasonal rainfall, with a mean annual rainfall in the range 700 - 1,000mm and a 5 - 6 month dry season[].
Requires a sunny position, preferring fairly fertile, moist but well-drained soils. Usually found in the wild on shallow soils overlying limestone[].
Leucaena pulverulenta shows weedy tendencies in parts of the native range, spreading and colonizing ruderal sites such as roadsides, abandoned fields and canal banks, sometimes fonning dense thickets, particularly in south Texas. It is therefore considered to pose significant risks of becoming a ruderal weed where introduced[].
This species is moderately to highly susceptible to damage by psyllids[].
The unripe seedpods are harvested by climbing the trees and lopping the terminal branches or groups of pods, often crudely, with machetes, small knives or cutting poles. Annual pollarding in this way apparently causes only limited damage to the trees which resprout and fruit annually[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Seeds - raw. Eaten with enchiladas[]. Often eaten raw as a snack when working in the field, Leucaena seeds are also often used as a garnish on cooked foods or added to stews, mixed with beans and maize tortillas etc. After removal from the pods, the unripe seeds can be dried and stored for later use or ground into a flour and mixed with wheat, corn etc[]. The seeds are 3 - 4mm wide, 6 - 8mm long; there are 32,000 - 52,000 seeds/kg[]

Flower buds - raw[]. Eaten with enchiladas[].

We have no record of edibility for the seedpods of this species, but the immature seedpods of many species in Mexico are eaten raw or cooked. In addition, this species is likely to be the maternal parent of two species that are widely used for food (Leucaena diversifolia and Leucaena leucocephala)[]. It is quite likely that this species has similar edible properties[]. The dark-brown seedpods are 120 - 210mm long and 14 - 24mm wide; there are 1 - 3 seedpods produced by each flower head[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is grown as a shade tree in coffee plantations and as a green manure[].
A natural pioneer species, invading disturbed areas, pastures etc in its native range. It can be used for restoring native woodland[].

Other Uses

The plant hybridizes with Leucaena leucocephala and is used in breeding programmes with that species[].

The heartwood is a rich, dark brown; it is clearly demarcated from the thin layer of bright, clear yellow sapwood. The wood is heavy, hard, close-grained. The tree is a source of lumber that is used for general purposes, including as railway sleepers[, , ].
The wood is used for fuel[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing.
Cuttings of semi-ripe wood.

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