Entada 
Seeds discoid, somewhat angular, brown, smooth, 
shiny, 40 mm diam., 20 mm thick. Flowering: Apr; 
fruiting: pods persistent. Fig. 11 Matchbox Bean 
Widespread through Africa, India, China, 
MIMOSACEAE 25 
Philippines to northern Australia. Coastal rainforest. 
Rare in the DR where known only from Melville 
Island. The seeds are distributed in their articles 
and are often seen washed up on the seashore. 
LEUCAENA Benth. 
A genus of about 50 species from tropical America. One species widely cultivated and naturalised 
throughout the tropics. 
*L. leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit 
Shrub to small tree to 6 m. Bark smooth with promi- 
nent lenticels. Vegetative parts minutely tomentose. 
Stipules c. 1 mm long. Pulvinus c. 3 mm long. Leaf 
rachis 45-125 mm long, with 3-9 pairs of pinnae; 
prominent dark gland at basal pair of pinnae, rarely 
additional gland at terminal pair; pinnae 22-75 mm long 
with 8-22 pairs of leaflets; leaflets asymmetrically 
narrowly oblong, 5-15 mm long, 1-4 mm wide, 
discolorous. Inflorescence a solitary or paired globular 
head on peduncles 17-35 mm long. Head 18-20 mm 
diam., creamy yellow. Calyx 5-toothed, 3 mm long. 
Petals 5, free, 5 mm long. Stamens 10, 7-8 mm long. 
Pods long-stipitate, oblong, clustered, pale brown, 90- 
150 mm long, 15-19 mm wide, glabrescent, valves thin. 
Seeds 14-21, transverse in pod, obovoid, shiny, brown, 
5-8 mm long, 4-5 mm wide, Flowering and fruiting all 
year. Fig. 12 Coffee Bush 
Pantropical. Common weed in suburban Darwin. 
Utilised in many tropical countries as shade for 
coffee, as a source of fuelwood and fodder and to 
reafforest eroded land (Nat. Acad. Sc., 1979). 
MIMOSA L. 
Herbs, shrubs or rarely trees, mostly prickly. Leaves bipinnate or in a few species (not NT) absent or 
modified into phyllodes, sensitive to touch. Flowers hermaphrodite or male, in subglobose or spicate heads 
which are axillary, solitary or clustered. Calyx 3-6-lobed. Stamens as many as or twice as many as corolla 
lobes. Pods straight to coiled, flat, mostly breaking to form tardily dehiscent 1-seeded articles, falling from 
the persistent margin. 
A large genus of 450-500 species, predominantly American with 2 introduced species in the NT. 
1. Leaves without prickles on petiole and rachis; pinnae in 1-2 digitate pairs; 
prostrate or low SHIUDS .........sesesseseeetseseseeeeeeeeeeees 
M. pudica 
1. Leaves more or less prickly on petiole and rachis; pinnae in 9-14 pairs, 
Not digitate; SHrUb tO 4M .o.ceeseeseseesseeeseeeeeeeseees 
*M. pigra L. 
Shrub to 4 m high with prickly stems and leaves; 
vegetative parts scabrid with antrorsely appressed 
bulbous-based bristles. Stipules narrow-triangular, 
3-5 mm long. Pulvinus 5-7 mm long. Leaf rachis 
125-220 mm long with 9-14 pairs of pinnae, 
sometimes suboppposite, often with a spine at each 
junction; glands absent; pinnae 30-60 mm long with 
42-44 pairs of leaflets; /eaflets linear, 3-8 mm long, 
to c. 1 mm wide. Inflorescence of solitary or paired 
axillary heads; peduncle 15-35 mm long. Heads 
M. pigra 
globular to slightly elongated, purplish to pink, 
10 mm diam. Calyx minute. Petals 4. Stamens 8. 
Pods clustered, brown, 50-80 mm long, 8-10 mm 
wide, densely hairy with rusty bristles. Seeds 20-25, 
_transverse in pod, grey to olivaceous, oblong, 4-5 mm 
long, 2-3 mm wide. Flowering: July - Feb; fruiting: 
Feb - July. Fig. 12 Mimosa 
Widespread in tropical Africa and America. 
Introduced throughout Asia. Common in the DR in 
coastal freshwater swampy situations. First introduced 
in the DR at the Darwin Botanic Gardens last century 
