Common Name: Gliricidia

General Information

Gliricidia sepium is a shrub or small tree with a medium-sized, open crown; it can grow 2 - 15 metres tall[]. The bole is twisted, or grows at an angle, up to 30cm in diameter. In its native range, with a clearly defined dry season, the plant is deciduous, but may be evergreen and flower sporadically through the year in areas with rain all year round. In these areas seed set is often low[, ].
A very valuable multipurpose tree and important component of various agroforestry systems, the tree is often cultivated in many tropical countries of Central and South America, S and SE Asia, the Pacific islands and Africa. It serves as a pioneer species to establish the site, as a shade and support tree; as a green manure and forage crop in plantations; it is used for the establishment of living fences etc[]. The plant is often grown as an ornamental, where it is particularly valued for its generosity in flower - its arching branches being weighed down by the densely packed racemes of nectar-rich flowers[].

Known Hazards

The leaves, seeds or powdered bark are toxic to human, When mixed with cooked rice or maize and then fermented, they are used to poison rats, mice and other rodents[].
Leaves are reputedly toxic to dogs and horses, but cows and goats are said to ingest them with impunity[].
The mechanism of toxicity is not understood[].

Botanical References

Range

Central America - Costa Rica, north to Mexico.

Habitat

Early and middle successional vegetation types on disturbed sites such as coastal sand dunes, river banks, floodplains and fallow land at elevations from sea level up to 1,500 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Shrub
Height	10.00 m
Growth Rate	Fast
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Gliricidia sepium is a plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,600 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 30°c, but can tolerate 12 - 44°c[]. Mature plants can be killed by temperatures of -2°c or lower, but young growth is more sensitive and will be severely damaged at -1°c[]. The plant prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 2,300mm, but tolerates 600 - 3,500mm[]. In its native range the climate is relatively uniformly sub-humid with a five-month dry period, though it can also grow successfully in more humid zones without a marked dry season (though it does not set seed then)[, ].
Grows best in a sunny position[]. Tolerates a wide range of soil types, both alkaline and acidic, including low-fertility soils[]. It grows well on the calcareous soils of atolls[]. Prefers freely draining soils but can tolerate some waterlogging[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.2, tolerating 4.5 - 8[]. Plants establish well on steep slopes with up to 40% gradient[].
As an aggressive coloniser, the plant has the potential to become a weed but is rarely so perhaps because it in most places is coppiced regularly and not permitted to set seed[].
A fast growing tree, capable of increases in height of 3 metres or more per year, though early seedling growth is quite slow[].
When grown as a fuel crop, the first harvest can be taken after 3 - 4 years, giving wood yields of 8 - 15 cubic metres per hectare. Subsequent coppicing is done every 2 - 3 years and yields may be 11 - 21 cubic metres[].
Gliricidia is often exposed to annual fires in its native, seasonally dry habitat[]. It tolerates such fires well and trees quickly resprout when the rains start, which explains the abundance of the tree in secondary vegetations and fallows[].
There is a predictable relationship between the flowering of the plant and the onset of the rainy season in Venezuela, making it a promising indicator species[]. In many parts of the naturalized range and where it is an exotic, flowering can occur any time of the year if there is no pronounced dry season[].
Pod-ripening time ranges between 35 and 60 days. Pods can grow to full size within 3 weeks of fertilization. On maturity, pods dehisce explosively; tension builds up in the pod valves and the seeds are ejected to a distance of 25 metres. This phenomenon facilitates rapid establishment, especially in disturbed sites, and also means that in some areas the plant has become invasive[]. Wind plays a part in the direction of seed dispersal. Secondary dispersal by rain is also possible[].
Pollarding at 2 metres or above is recommended for optimal wood biomass production[]. Coppicing is used where the primary objective is fuel wood production[]. The plant has been shown to tolerate lopping and browsing[].
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

Flowers - cooked and eaten as a potherb[, ]. They contain about 3% nitrogen[]. They are also folded into a batter and fried[, ].

Medicinal

The plant is reported to be expectorant, sedative and suppurative[]. Crude extracts have been shown to have antifungal activity[].
The plant is a folk remedy for alopecia, boils, bruises, burns, colds, cough, debility, eruptions, erysipelas, fever, fractures, gangrene, headache, itch, prickly heat, rheumatism, skin tumours, ulcers, urticaria and wounds[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Gliricidia is a pioneer species that readily colonises open ground and is used for reclaiming Imperata grasslands[].
It is widely cultivated as a shade tree for perennial crops such as tea, coffee and cocoa[]. It is also used as a nurse tree for shade-loving species[]. Attributes contributing to its value as a shade tree include its fine, feathery foliage giving light shade, and the ability to withstand repeated pruning and to resprout vigorously[]. When grown as a hedgerow in alley cropping, it serves to suppress weed growth and control erosion and has been shown to reduce the incidence of disease in groundnut crops[].
With its ease of propagation from large cuttings, it is one of the most suitable species for live fencing around cattle pastures and for delineating boundaries[, , ]. Its fast growth, ease of propagation, nitrogen fixing ability and light canopy makes it ideal as a live stakes[]. It has been used to support black pepper, vanilla and yam in West Africa and India[].
It has been planted to reclaim denuded land or land infested with Imperata cylindrica[].
As a green manure, gliricidia increases soil organic matter; it aids in the recycling of soil nutrients as it produces much litter[, ]. It also improves soil aeration and reduces soil temperature. It is a drought-resistant and valuable water-conserving species, because in the dry season it sheds most of its leaves, hence reducing water loss through transpiration[].

Other Uses

The plant has found application as a rodenticide and general pesticide[]. The seeds are used as a rat poison[].
The roots are said to have a sweetish taste and to be deadly to the field mice and rats which invariably eat them in preference to those of cacao or coffee trees[].

An extract of the leaf is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a hair conditioner and skin conditioner[].

The heartwood is dark brown, turning reddish-brown on exposure to air; the moderately thin band of sapwood is yellowish to light brown, turning reddish brown on exposure. The texture is coarse; the grain is irregular and close. The wood is hard, heavy, very tough, very durable in contact with the soil and termite resistant. It is difficult to split and takes a very good polish. The wood is utilized for railway sleepers, farm implements, tool handles, furniture, house construction and as mother posts in live-fence establishment[, ].
The wood is often used for fuel and charcoal production. It burns slowly without sparking and with little smoke, so it is an important fuel wood in the subhumid tropics[]. The calorific value of a 5-year-old tree is 4550 kcal/kg[].

Propagation

Seed - pre-treatment is often not necessary, particularly where fresh seeds are used. However, when seeds are not fresh, soaking overnight in hot water is required and planting should proceed immediately thereafter[]. Seed or seedling inoculation with suitable strains of rhizobium is necessary where the plant is not naturalized. Direct sowing of seeds requires good land preparation and regular weeding[]: 90 - 100% germination occurs in 7 days[]. Where nursery seedlings are used, plantable size is attained in 3 months[].
Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. Viability is maintained for 12 months in open storage.
Glricidia is propagated most commonly by cuttings, although this is not the most appropriate method for establishment in poor soils[]. Even very large cuttings root successfully in the open ground[].

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