Family - Fabaceae
Synonym - Acacia leucocephala, Mimosa leucocephala
Vernacular names - Ippilippil, Subaul, Lead tree, Leucaena, Subaul, White lead tree
Habit - Tree
Habitat - Cultivated for fuel wood and fodder
Distribution - Originally from Tropical America; now Pantropical
Flowering and Fruiting - November-April
Key Identification Features - The tree grows up to 8m in height and has puberulous branchlets. Its leaves are bi-pinnate, alternate, with a slender rachis. The pinnae are arranged in 4-6 pairs, evenly pinnate, and feature a gland between the lowest pair or slightly lower down on the petiole’s upper side. The leaflets, numbering 16-40, are opposite, subsessile, obliquely oblong or obliquely lanceolate, with an obliquely truncate base and an acute or acuminate apex. The leaf undersides are pubescent and glaucous, with obscure nerves. The bisexual flowers are greenish-white, occurring in axillary umbels. They are globose, either solitary or in groups of 2-3. The calyx has five teeth, and the five free petals surround ten stamens. The ovary is shortly stipitate and puberulent, while the styles are as long as the ovary, with a simple stigma. The pod is linear-oblong, flat, and dehiscent.
Uses - It provides nutritious fodder for livestock, edible green pods, and biomass for energy production. Additionally, it contributes to soil fertility and can be used as firewood.
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