View source for Leucaena

{{Short description|Genus of legumes}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|image = Leucaena glauca.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]''
|taxon = Leucaena
|authority = [[George Bentham|Benth.]] (1842), nom. cons.
|type_species = ''[[Leucaena leucocephala|Leucaena glauca]]''
|type_species_authority = Benth.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40005610 |title=''Leucaena'' Benth. |work=TROPICOS |publisher=Missouri Botanical Garden |access-date=2010-03-23}}</ref>
|subdivision_ranks = Species
|subdivision = 24; see text
|subdivision_ref = <ref name = powo>[https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:331713-2 ''Leucaena'' Benth.] ''[[Plants of the World Online]]''. Retrieved 4 September 2023.</ref>
|synonyms =
* ''Caudoleucaena'' <small>[[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]] & [[Joseph Nelson Rose|Rose]] (1928)</small>
* ''Ryncholeucaena'' <small>Britton & Rose (1928)</small>
|synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo/><ref name="GRIN">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?6761 |title=''Leucaena'' Benth. |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |date=2007-10-05 |access-date=2010-03-23}}</ref>
}}
'''''Leucaena''''' is a genus of [[flowering plant]]s in the [[Mimosoideae|mimosoid clade]] of the subfamily [[Caesalpinioideae]] of the family [[Fabaceae]]. It contains about 24 species of [[tree]]s and [[shrub]]s, which are commonly known as '''leadtrees'''.<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=26764 |taxon=''Leucaena'' |accessdate=23 March 2010}}</ref> They are native to the [[Americas]], ranging from [[Texas]] in the [[United States]] south to [[Peru]].<ref name="Plant-Book">{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/plantbookportabl00mabb |url-access=registration |first=D.J. |last=Mabberley |year=1997 |title=The Plant-Book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants |edition=2nd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, England |isbn=978-0-521-41421-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/plantbookportabl00mabb/page/n425 406]}}</ref> The generic name is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word λευκός (''leukos''), meaning "white," referring to the [[flower]]s.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eMgaXGsBEWIC |title=Sappi What's in a Name? |first=Hugh |last=Glen |year=2004 |publisher=Jacana Media  |isbn=978-1-77009-040-8 |page=39}}</ref>
==Uses==
''Leucaena'' species are grown for their variety of uses, including as [[green manure]], a [[charcoal]] source, [[livestock]] [[fodder]], and for [[soil conservation]]. The seeds (jumbie beans) can be used as beads. ''Leucaena'' planted for [[firewood]] on an area of {{convert|120|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} will yield an energy equivalent of 1 million [[Barrel of oil equivalent|barrels of oil]] per year. [[Anthelmintic]] [[Medicinal plant|medicines]] are made from extracts of ''Leucaena'' seeds in [[Sumatra]], [[Indonesia]].<ref name="Plant-Book"/>
Some species (namely ''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]'') have edible [[fruit]]s (as unripe) and [[seed]]s. The seeds of ''[[Leucaena esculenta]]'' (in Mexico called ''guaje'' or ''huaje'') are eaten with [[salt]] in [[Mexico]]. In other species high levels of [[mimosine]] may lead to [[Alopecia|hair loss]] and [[infertility]] in non-[[ruminant]]s.<ref name="Plant-Book"/>
==Species==
24 species are accepted:<ref name = powo/>
*''[[Leucaena collinsii]]'' <small>[[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]] & [[Joseph Nelson Rose|Rose]]</small> &ndash; Collins leadtree (Southern [[Mexico]])<ref name="Permaculture">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40n-Z_8ihZMC |title=Permaculture Plants: A Selection |first=Jeff |last=Nugent |author2=Julia Boniface  |edition=2nd |publisher=Chelsea Green Publishing |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-85623-029-2 |pages=24–26}}</ref><ref name="Elsevier">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yjc5ZYWtkNAC |title=Elsevier's Dictionary of Trees |first=Miroslav M. |last=Grandtner |volume=1 |publisher=Elsevier |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-444-51784-5 |pages=473–475}}</ref>
*''[[Leucaena confertiflora]]'' <small>Zárate</small>
*''[[Leucaena cruziana]]'' {{small|Britton & Rose}}
*''[[Leucaena cuspidata]]'' <small>[[Paul Carpenter Standley|Standl.]]</small> (Mexico)
*''[[Leucaena diversifolia]]'' <small>([[Diederich Franz Leonhard von Schlechtendal|Schltdl.]]) [[George Bentham|Benth.]]</small> &ndash; Diverseleaf leadtree (Southern Mexico, [[Central America]])<ref name="Elsevier"/>
*''[[Leucaena esculenta]]'' <small>([[Augustin Pyramus de Candolle|DC.]]) Benth.</small> &ndash; Esculent leadtree<ref name="Elsevier"/> (Mexican highlands)<ref name="Permaculture"/>
*''[[Leucaena greggii]]'' <small>[[Sereno Watson|S.Watson]]</small> (Mexico)
*''[[Leucaena involucrata]]'' <small>Zárate</small> (Mexico)
*''[[Leucaena lanceolata]]'' <small>S.Watson</small> (Western Mexico)<ref name="Permaculture"/>
*''[[Leucaena lempirana]]'' <small>C.E.Hughes</small> ([[Honduras]])
*''[[Leucaena leucocephala]]'' <small>([[Jean-Baptiste Lamarck|Lam.]]) [[Hendrik de Wit|de Wit]]</small> &ndash; White leadtree (Southern Mexico, [[Belize]], [[Guatemala]])
*''[[Leucaena macrophylla]]'' <small>Benth.</small> &ndash; Bigleaf Leucaena<ref name="Elsevier"/> (Lowland Mexico)<ref name="Permaculture"/>
*''[[Leucaena magnifica]]'' <small>(C.E.Hughes) C.E.Hughes</small> (Guatemala)
*''[[Leucaena matudae]]'' <small>(Zárate) C.E.Hughes</small> (Mexico)
*''[[Leucaena multicapitula]]'' <small>Schery</small>
*''[[Leucaena pallida]]'' <small>Britton & Rose</small>
*''[[Leucaena pueblana]]'' <small>[[Nathaniel Lord Britton|Britton]] & [[Joseph Nelson Rose|Rose]]</small> (Mexico)
*''[[Leucaena pulverulenta]]'' <small>(Schltdl.) Benth.</small> &ndash; Great leadtree (Southern [[Texas]], Northeastern Mexico).<ref name="Permaculture"/>  It's known in Mexico as "tepeguaje" or "tepehuaje"
*''[[Leucaena retusa]]'' <small>Benth.</small> &ndash; Littleaf leadtree (Western Texas, Northern Mexico)<ref name="Permaculture"/>
*''[[Leucaena salvadorensis]]'' <small>[[Paul Carpenter Standley|Standl.]] ex Britton & Rose</small> ([[El Salvador]], Honduras, [[Nicaragua]])
*''[[Leucaena shannonii]]'' <small>[[John Donnell Smith|Donn.Sm.]]</small> &ndash; Shannon leadtree<ref name="Elsevier"/> (Southern Mexico, Central America)<ref name="Permaculture"/>
*''[[Leucaena trichandra]]'' <small>(Zucc.) [[Ignatz Urban|Urb.]]</small> &ndash; Hairystamen leadtree (Southern Mexico, Central America)<ref name="Elsevier"/>
*''[[Leucaena trichodes]]'' <small>(Jacq.) Benth.</small> &ndash; Hairy leadtree (Southern Central America, Northwestern South America, [[Hispaniola]])<ref name="Elsevier"/><ref name="GRINspecies">{{cite web |url=http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?6761 |title=Species Records of ''Leucaena'' |work=Germplasm Resources Information Network |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture |access-date=2010-11-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite iucn |author=Barstow, M. |year=2020 |title=''Leucaena trichodes'' |volume=2020 |page=e.T62026291A62026298 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T62026291A62026298.en |access-date=9 April 2021}}</ref>
*''[[Leucaena zacapana]]'' {{small|(C.E.Hughes) R.Govind. & C.E.Hughes}}
===Hybrids===
*''[[Leucaena × mixtec]]''
*''[[Leucaena × spontanea]]''<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lbuNjDG1ybAC |first=T. P. V |last=Hartman |author2=J. Jones |author3=N. W. Blackhall |author4=J. B. Power |author5=E. C. Cocking |author6= M. R. Davey  |editor=Helmut Guttenberger |title=Cytogenetics, Molecular Cytogenetics, and Genome Size in ''Leucaena'' (''Leguminosae'', ''Mimosoideae'') |journal=Cytogenetic Studies of Forest Trees and Shrubs: Review, Present Status, and Outlook on the Future: Proceedings of the Second IUFRO Cytogenetics Working Party S2.04.08 Symposium, September 6–12, 1998, Graz, Austria |year=2000 |pages=57–70|isbn=9788096708888 }}</ref>
===Formerly placed here===
* ''[[Acacia glauca]]'' <small>(L.) Moench</small> (as ''L. glauca'' <small>(L.) Benth.</small>)
* ''[[Lysiloma latisiliquum]]'' <small>(L.) Benth.</small> (as ''L. latisiliqua'' <small>(L.) Gillis</small>)
* ''[[Schleinitzia fosbergii]]'' <small>Nevling & Niezgoda</small> (as ''L. insularum'' var. ''guamensis'' <small>Fosberg & B. C. Stone</small>)
* ''[[Schleinitzia insularum]]'' <small>(Guill.) Burkart</small> (as ''L. insularum'' <small>(Guill.) Däniker</small>)<ref name="GRINspecies"/>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.ildis.org/LegumeWeb/ ILDIS/LEGUMEWEB]
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*{{Wikispecies-inline}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q311423}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Leucaena| ]]
[[Category:Fabaceae genera]]
[[Category:Flora of the Americas]]