Eden

Penang Botanic Gardens Plant Collection

Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit (FABACEAE)

Posted at — Nov 13, 2019
Ipil Ipil, Horse Tamarind, Petai Jawa, Leucaena

Description

Tree to 10 m tall with open crown and feathery foliage. Leaves bipinnate with 4-8 pairs of pinnae, c. 10 cm long. Flowers in dense spherical heads on slender hairy stalk. Fruits in flattened pods, green ripening brown, 12-20 cm long.

Ecology

Dry coastal regions, waste ground. Naturalised in most of SE Asia.

Distribution

Native in tropical America.

Uses

Widely planted as a multi-purpose tree for fuel, fodder for livestock, reforestation programmes. In Thailand, the young shoots and green pods are eaten as a vegetable. Naturalised in most of Southeast Asia.