Lysiloma sabicu
Benth.
Fabaceae
Acacia latisiliqua paucifoliola DC.
Leucaena formosa Griseb.
Lysiloma formosum Hitchc.
Lysiloma paucifoliola (DC.) Northr.
Common Name:
General Information
Lysiloma sabicu is a semideciduous shrub or a small tree with a short bole that can be 60 - 90cm in diameter[
316- Title
- Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chudnoff. Martin.
- Publisher
- USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
]. When growing in woodland it can be a tree up to 12 metres tall, though it is also found as a shrub, flowering when no more than 1 metre tall[
1522- Title
- Silk Tree, Guanacaste, monkey's Earing: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas
- Publication
- Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden Vol 74 Part 1 pp 1-292, 1996
- Author
- Barneby R.C.
- Publisher
- The New York Botanical Garden; New York
- Year
- 1996
- ISBN
- 0-89327-395-3
- Description
- A detailed treatment of several genera of the Mimosaceae found in N. America and the Caribbean
].
The tree is harvested from the wild for its good quality timber, which has been exported for cabinet making in the past. It is sometimes cultivated as an ornamental in Florida[
1522- Title
- Silk Tree, Guanacaste, monkey's Earing: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas
- Publication
- Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden Vol 74 Part 1 pp 1-292, 1996
- Author
- Barneby R.C.
- Publisher
- The New York Botanical Garden; New York
- Year
- 1996
- ISBN
- 0-89327-395-3
- Description
- A detailed treatment of several genera of the Mimosaceae found in N. America and the Caribbean
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
1522- Title
- Silk Tree, Guanacaste, monkey's Earing: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas
- Publication
- Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden Vol 74 Part 1 pp 1-292, 1996
- Author
- Barneby R.C.
- Publisher
- The New York Botanical Garden; New York
- Year
- 1996
- ISBN
- 0-89327-395-3
- Description
- A detailed treatment of several genera of the Mimosaceae found in N. America and the Caribbean
Range
West Indies - Bahamas; Cuba; Dominican Republic; Haiti; Puerto Rico; Southern N. America - southeast Mexico, southern Florida
Habitat
Coppice and xeromorphic woodland, on coral-limestone soils near sea level, but also ascending to 600 metres[
1522- Title
- Silk Tree, Guanacaste, monkey's Earing: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas
- Publication
- Memoirs of the New York Botanical Garden Vol 74 Part 1 pp 1-292, 1996
- Author
- Barneby R.C.
- Publisher
- The New York Botanical Garden; New York
- Year
- 1996
- ISBN
- 0-89327-395-3
- Description
- A detailed treatment of several genera of the Mimosaceae found in N. America and the Caribbean
].
Properties
| Other Uses Rating |  |
| Habit | Semi-deciduous Tree |
| Height | 6.00 m |
| Pollinators | Insects |
| Cultivation Status | Ornamental, Wild |
Cultivation Details
Requires a sunny position in a well-drained soil. Lysiloma species are generally adaptable to a range of soils[
200- Title
- The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Huxley. A.
- Publisher
- MacMillan Press
- Year
- 1992
- ISBN
- 0-333-47494-5
- Description
- Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
].
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[
755- Title
- Nodulation Plants in GRIN Taxonomy
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxnodul.pl?language=en
- Publisher
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- An online database listing plants that have either positive or negative reports on root and stem nodulation with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
].
Edible Uses
None known
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
A good quality wood, it is heavy, hard, fine-grained, very durable in water. It is used for ship-building, making bobbins and shuttles, and for cabinet work[
46- Title
- Dictionary of Economic Plants.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Uphof. J. C. Th.
- Publisher
- Weinheim
- Year
- 1959
- ISBN
- -
- Description
- An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
,
411- Title
- Trees and Shrubs of Mexico
- Publication
- Contributions from the United States National Herbarium Vol 23
- Author
- Standley P.C.
- Publisher
- Smithsonian Institution; Washington
- Year
- 1926
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Although dated, it contains a wealth of information on the trees and shrubs of Mexico, including many of their uses. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
].
We have no more specific information for the wood of this species, but the following is a general description of wood from trees in this genus:-
The lustrous brown heartwood has a coppery or purplish tinge, sometimes faintly striped; it is sharply demarcated from the thin layer of white sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight to roey; it is without distinctive odour or taste. The heartwood is rated as highly durable. The wood is reported to air-season slowly; kiln-dried boards were prone to surface and end checking. The wood is considered to be easy to work, it finishes smoothly, and takes a high natural polish. It is used for general construction, furniture making, wheel wright work, parquet flooring, interior trim, bobbins and shuttles, veneer, and knife handles[
316- Title
- Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607.
- Publication
-
- Author
- Chudnoff. Martin.
- Publisher
- USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin.
- Year
- 1984
- ISBN
-
- Description
- Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.
].
Propagation
Seed -
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
