Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit Leucaena, tantan Leguminosae (Mimosoideae)Legume Family

摘要

Leucaena leucocephala commonly known as leucaena, tantan, guaje (Mexico), huaxin(Central America), zarcilla (Puerto Rico), and by many other names, is one of the most extensively cultivated leguminous trees in the world. Adapted to a wide range of lowland sites in the tropics and subtropics, the semideciduous tree has been planted in many countries outside its native southern North American and Central American range. Leucaena originally grew in the midlands of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and southern Mexico, a range extending from latitudes 12 degrees to 20 degrees N. Since the 1960's, seeds of a number of the much taller 'giant' or 'Salvador type' varieties have been collected from sites in Central America. These varieties have been studied extensively in plantation culture in Hawaii and have been planted throughout the Tropics in plantation and agro-forestry systems.