Common Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands

LEGUME FAMILY (LEGUMINOSAE)
MIMOSA SUBFAMILY (MIMOSOIDEAE; MIMOSACEAE)
65. Zarcilla, tantan, leadtree Leucaena glauca (L,) Benth.
A small tree or shrub common along roadsides
and in old fields in the dry areas, characterized by :
(1) alternate twice pinnate leaves (bipinnnte) 4-8
inches long, with 3-10 pairs of lateral axes (pinnae),
ertch with 10-20 airs of stalkless narrowly
oblong or lance-shape cf gray-green leaflets 5/16-s/8
inch long and less than 1/8 inch wide; (2) flowers
very numerous in whitish round balls x-1 inch
across the spreading threadlike stamens; and (3)
usually mnny clustered dark brown pods 4-6 inches
lon and 5/g-3/4 inch wide, flat and thin, with raised
bo d er.
A rapidly growing deciduous spreading tree
15-25 feet hi h and 24 inches in diameter or
larger. The hrk is gray or brownish grny and
smooth with mnny dots or warts (lenticels) . In.
ner btcrk is light green or light brown and slightly
bitter. , Twigs are gray green and hely hairy, beconiing
brownish gmy.
The gray-green leaf axes and lateral axes have
swellings at bases. Leaflets are short- ointed at
apex and oblique at t,he short-pointed e ase, thin,
and gray green but slightly paler beneath. They
fold upward together at night.
The flower heads are borne on stalks %-I%
inches long in terminal clusters (rncemelike) at
ends of t\vigs or lateral and composed of man
narrow shlkless flo~vers in n whitish round ba Y 1
about 8/8-1/2 inch across corollas in bud stage. Each
individr~nl flower 5i6 inch or more in lenghh has
a tubular, greenish-white hairy, 5-toothed calyx
more than l/lo inch long; 5 narrow greenish-white
hnily petals nearly 3/16 inch long; 10 threadlike
white stamens about inch long; and slenderstalked
pistil nearly j/4 inch long with narrow
green ha~ry ovary and white style.
The pods are narro~ved into a stalk at base, shortpointed
at apex, and minutely hairy. They hang
down usually many in n cluster and split open on
both sides at maturity. In n centrnl row am many
flattened, oblong, pointed, shiny brown seeds
inch long (10,000 to a pound). Flowering and
fruiting nearly through the year.
The sapwood is light yellow. Heal-tnvood is
yellon- bro\vn to dttrlr brown. The hard, heavy
mood (specific gravity 0.7) is used for fuel in
Puerto Rico.
The seeds, after softening in boiling water, are
strung ns beads into necklaces, bmcelets, decorntions
on hats, and curiosities for tor~rists in the Virgin
Islands and other localities. In the Philippines
the young pods have been cooked as a vegetable
and the seeds prepared as n coffee slibstitute.
The bark and roots reportedly have been employed
in home remedies. Bees obtain pollen from the
flowers. In the Virgir! Islnnds branches from
trees along roadsides frequently are cut for livestock
feed, especially in the dry season.
The leaves and pods are poisonous to horses,
donkeys, and mules and, when eaten, cause these
animals to shed their hair, especially that of the
mane and tail (or even hooves if browsing is prolonged,
it is reported). Hogs are similarly affected,
losing the hair along the spine, and rabbits
are poisoned also. However, cattle, goats, and
sheep can browse the foliage without ill effects.
The poison is concentrated in the seeds and young
leaves.
The trees are easily propagated from seeds or
cuttings and coppice well. Like weeds they readily
invade cleared lands and fre uently form dense
pure thickets. This species has 71 een used in some
countries for coffee shade, cacao shade, and hedges.
Being hard it can be planted in pastures, to be
followed. a 9 terwards by timber trees. In some
areas the trees have been managed for fuel or
charcoal on a short rotation of 6 or 7 years between
cuttings. In the Far East this legume is grown to
rebuild the soil and as a forage crop
In roadsides, abandoned pastures, and thickets,
in the dry limestone and dry coastal re ions of
Puerto Reo. Also widespread in Mona, $ieques,
St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, Tortola, and Virgin
Gorda. w*J
Fuo~lc m~~s~s.-Agukre, Cambalache, Guajatacn,
Gudnica, Maricao, Rio Abajo, SusGa, Vega.
A~UNICIPALITIES WIIERE ESPECIALLY coarDfoN.-
26,38,54,55,75.
RANGE.-Throughout West Indies from Bahamas
and Cuba to Trinidad and Tobago and
from southern Mexico to northern South America.
Naturalized beyond the ori inal range north to
southern Texas and southern % lorida (also planted
in California) and in Bermuda and southward to
Chile and Brazil. Also naturalized in the Old
World tropics.
OTIIER
hediondilla,
acacia, acacia pnlida (Puerto Rico) ; wild
tamarind, wild taman (Virgin Islands) ; lino,
granndino, granadillo bobo, lino criollo (Dominimn
Republic) ; aroma blancn, aroma mansa, aroma
bobit (Cuba) ; aje, uaxim (Mexico) ; barba de
le6n (Guatema P a) ;. panelo (Colombia) ; leadtree,
white popinac (Un~ted States) ; jumbie-bean, wild
mimosa, ncacia (Bermuda) ; jumbie-bean, jimbay,
co~vbush (Bahamas) ; wild tamarind (Grenadines,
Trinidttd, British Hondurns) ; shack-shack, West
Indies mimosa (Trinidad) ; grains de lin ays
(Haiti) ; bois-lolo, monval (St. Barth&lemy, &acleloupe)
; macata (Guadeloupe) ; macata blanca
(Alartinique) ; tumbnrabu, mimosa, tantan (Dutch
West Indies).
BOTINICAI, ~YNONYM.-L~UCO~~C( Zeucocepha2a
(Lam.) de Wit.
COMBCON ~~~f~~.-t~m~rindillo,