Digital Garden

Leucaena leucocephala 

River Tamarind

 Scientific Name: Leucaena leucocephala 

Common Name: River Tamarind 

Family: Fabaceae 

Habitat Type: Tree 

Leaves 

The leaves are up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) long, alternate, long-petioled, two times compound; the leaflets are dark green above and lighter green below. 

Bark As the stem ages and grows, changes occur that transform its surface into bark. 

Flower 

The flowers are small and fragrant, with five pale purple or lilac petals, growing in clusters. 

Fruit 

The fruit is a drupe, marble-sized, light yellow at maturity, hanging on the tree all winter, and gradually becoming wrinkled and almost white. 

FACTS & MEDICINAL USES 

It is valuable for its wood, which is used to make good quality charcoal, small furniture and paper pulp. Its young shoots, young leaves and seeds may be used as a vegetable in human nutrition. 

Seeds can also be used as pieces of jewelry. It is one of the highest quality and most palatable fodder trees of the tropics. 

Erosion control and land reclamation. Its deep taproot helps break up compacted subsoil layers thus improving water penetration and reducing surface run-off. It prevents saline subsoil water from reaching the surface. Grown in contour strips, leucaena helps in erosion control on steep slopes. It provides shade and acts as a shelterbelt (preventing wind damages) to other trees such as cocoa, coffee and tea but also to climbing crops (vanilla, pepper, passion fruit). 

Flower: 

Treatment of stomach diseases, facilitation of abortion, contraception and treatment of diabetes. 

Fruit: 

The pods are edible; however only young pods are edible. These pods are occasionally consumed with Javanese vegetable salads together with spicy peanut sauce in Indonesia. Not only are they useful for human consumption, with regards to forage and fodder, the legume acts as a great source of high-protein cattle fodder. Having said that, they are also valued for its ruminant forage and as a fuel wood throughout Southeast Asia and parts of central Asia and Africa. 

The seeds of Lucaena leucophala have the power to control stomach ache, as contraception and abortifacient. In tablet formulation, the seed gum is used as a binder. The plant is believed to be a worm repellent and L. leucocephala is also used in treating fevers, flu, colds in addition they are also used to reduce back pain and menstrual cramps. 

Bark: 

Bark Decoction is used as an anti-cancer compound as it treats myelogenous leukaemia, prostate, liver, tongue, lung, gastric cancer.