486 XXIII. LEGUMINOSAE 



is capable of growing in some of the wettest places, rapidty killing out grasses 

 with its broad crown ; it has therefore been suggested as a suitable tree for 

 planting up grassy blanks in the fuel reserves in swampy localities, with the 

 view of killing out grass and enabling other species of trees to be introduced 

 afterwards. The pods contain a sweet edible pulp, and are readily eaten by 

 cattle ; the wood, however, is of little value. In Burma the flowers with 

 their pink tufts of stamens appear in the hot season, chiefly in April and May, 

 and the pods ripen from March to May. The growth is very rapid, and the 

 tree is easily raised from seed ; it can also be grown from cuttings. 



8. LEUCAENA, Benth. 



Leucaena giauca, Benth. Lead tree. 



An unarmed evergreen large shrub or small tree, a native of tropical 

 America and naturalized in other tropical regions of the world. It is planted 

 in the plains of India, often as a hedge plant, and regenerates freely from 

 self-sown seed. It occurs in the Phillaur plantation on the Punjab plains, 

 where natural seedlings appear readily and stand a fair amount of shade. 

 In the Philippines, where it is known as ipil-ipil, its growth in youth, according 

 to Mr. D. M. Matthews,^ is extremely rapid, seedling plants twenty-six months 

 old varying from 3 to 5 cm. (1-2 to 2 in.) in diameter at breast height. It 

 coppices vigorously and the growth of coppice-shoots is much more rapid than 

 that of seedling plants, the shoots reaching a height of 5 m. (16-4: ft.) and 

 a breast-height diameter of 5 cm. (2 in.) in one year. Coppice coupes one year 

 old on well-drained soil were found to yield more than 90 stacked cubic metres 

 per hectare (1,287 cub. ft. per acre), including brushwood of all sizes, while 

 coupes two years old yielded up to 114 stacked cubic metres per hectare of 

 material large enough for fuel, giving an annual production of 57 cubic metres 

 per hectare or 815 cub. ft. per acre. 



The utility of this species for afforesting grass-lands with the view of 

 preparing the w^ay for the introduction of timber trees has been proved in 

 the Philippines. The dominant grass is Imperafa exaltata, with which few 

 species are able to compete owing to its dense mass of rhizomes and roots. 

 The usual custom is to burn the grass immediately before the rainy season 

 and to sow the Leucaena seed broadcast at the beginning of the rains : plough- 

 ing up the ground before sowing the seed is considered likely to give better 

 results. Where seed is not sufficiently plentiful sowing in ploughed lines or 

 transplanting from the nursery is suggested. The plant flowers and fruits at 

 a very early age, good seed being produced by vigorous plants in the first or 

 second year. In the Philippines the plant grows at comparatively low eleva- 

 tions in regions where the rainfall varies from 40 to IGO in. It is not particular 

 as to soil, though it flourishes best on deep moist soil. 



' Bureau of Forestry, Philippines, Bull. No. l.'i, 1914. 



