Gliricidia sepium | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Clade: | Hologalegina |
Clade: | Robinioids |
Tribe: | Robinieae |
Genus: | Gliricidia |
Species: | G. sepium |
Binomial name | |
Gliricidia sepium | |
Synonyms | |
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Gliricidia sepium, often simply referred to as gliricidia or by its Spanish common name madre de cacao (also anglicized as mother of cocoa), [2] is a medium size leguminous tree belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is an important multi-purpose legume tree, [3] with a native range from Mexico to Colombia, but now widely introduced to other tropical zones. [4]
Common names of Gliricidia sepium in English include: gliricidia, Mexican lilac, mother of cocoa (in India and Ghana), Nicaraguan cocoashade (in Trinidad and Tobago), quickstick (in Guyana and Jamaica), Aaron's rod (in Jamaica), and St. Vincent plum, among other common names. [2] [5] [6]
In Latin America, it is known as cacahuanāntli in Nahuatl; and madre de cacao, madricacao, mata ratón, madriado, or madriago in Spanish in general; palu de sol, piñón cubano, cuchunuc, jelelte, sacyab, xakyaab, muite, and cocuite among other names in Mexico; mata ratón or matarratón in Guatemala, Colombia, and Cuba; cacaguanance or cacahuananche in Mexico and Guatemala; madero negro or maderu negru in Nicaragua and Costa Rica; balo in Costa Rica; palu de bala in Panama; palo de hierro in El Salvador; and piñón de Cuba in the Dominican Republic. [2]
The Spanish and Nahuatl names are retained in the Philippines as madre de cacao, madriado, madrecacao, and cacauate (or kakawate). [6] [2] Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, it is known as bunga jepun in Malaysia; gamal or liriksidia in Indonesia; khae farang in Thailand; anh dào gía, sát thu, or hông mai in Vietnam; khê fàlangx or khê nooyz in Laos; and ge li dou (南洋櫻) in China. [2]
In South Asia, it is known as madri in Telugu; saranga in Bengali; gobbarda mara or gobbaradgidda in Kannada; giripushpa in Marathi; siima konna in Malayalam; and seemai agathi or vivasaaya thegarai in Tamil, and wetahiriya in Sinhala). [2]
Elsewhere, it is also known as agunmaniye in Nigeria; rechesengel in Palau; and mãe-do-cacau in Portuguese. [2] [5]
Gliricidia sepium is a medium-sized tree that grows 10–12 m (33–39 ft) high. The bark is smooth, and its color can range from a whitish gray to deep red-brown. The flowers are located on the end of branches that have no leaves. These flowers have a bright pink to lilac color that is tinged with white. A pale yellow spot is usually at the flower's base. The tree's fruit is a pod about 10–15 cm (4–6 in) long. It is green when unripe and becomes yellow-brown when it reaches maturity. The pod produces four to ten round brown seeds.
G. sepium has been cultivated extensively by indigenous American cultures in North, Central, and South America since the pre-Columbian era, which makes it difficult to ascertain its original native distribution. Genetic studies have identified the center of genetic diversity of G. sepium as the dry zones of southern Mexico and northern Central America, which is now generally regarded as its true native range. [6] [7]
G. sepium was first introduced to the Philippines from Mexico via the Manila galleons along with 200 other tropical American plant species from as early as the early 1600s. Their use as a shade tree for cacao, coffee, and tea plantations led to their further spread. These later introductions include the Caribbean before 1850; Sri Lanka in the 1800s; India and Indonesia at around 1900; and West Africa, Uganda, and Kenya in the early 1900s. Other introductions followed in the 20th century and G. sepium now has a pantropical distribution. [6]
G. sepium grows well in acidic soils with a pH of 4.5-6.2. The tree is found on volcanic soils in its native range in Central America and Mexico. However, it can also grow on sandy, clay, and limestone soils. [8] [9]
G. sepium was spread from its native range throughout the tropics to shade plantation crops such as coffee. [10] Today it is used for many other purposes including live fencing, fodder, firewood, [11] green manure, intercropping, and rat poison. [12] Its use expanded following the widespread defoliation of Leucaena by psyllid in the 1980s. [10] In the charsutri method of paddy cultivation, leaves of glyricidia are incorporated in soil during ploughing.
G. sepium is used as cut and carry forage for cattle, sheep, and goats. Its high protein content allows it to complement low-quality tropical forages. G. sepium can tolerate repeated cutting, every 2 to 4 months depending on the climate. Cutting G. sepium causes it to retain its leaves during the dry season when many forage crops have lost their leaves. In some cases it is the only source of feed during the dry season. [10]
G. sepium trees are used for intercropping in part because they fix nitrogen in the soil and tolerate low soil fertility, so when they are interplanted with crops they can boost crop yields significantly, without the need of chemical fertilizers.
G. Sepium tolerates being cut back to crop height, and can even be coppiced, year after year. When the trees are cut back, they enter a temporary dormant state during which their root systems do not compete for nutrients needed by the crops, so the crops can establish themselves. [13]
These properties also enable G. Sepium to be used as green manure. [10]
G. sepium is a fast-growing ruderal species that takes advantage of slash and burn practices in its native range. [8] Because it is easily propagated and grows quickly, it is also planted to prevent topsoil erosion in the initial stages of reforesting denuded areas, and as an intermediate step to be taken before introducing species that take longer to grow. [13]
The common name madre de cacao (literally "mother of cacao" in Spanish) used in Central America and the Philippines is in reference to its traditional use as shade trees for cocoa tree plantations. [14]
G. sepium is widely used in the form of poles for live fencing in Cuba, [15] other islands and India. This is one of the best plants used for traditional live fencing to protect agriculture and fruit bearing plantations from animals such as goats, cow, and buffalo. As a Caribbean native, G. sepium has traditionally been used for live fencing in Cuba.
As in India, during the recent past one could see many living fences around mango and cashew orchards and agricultural properties in Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka, erected with G. sepium and tied with bamboo rafters.
G. sepium is also used for its insect repellent properties. Farmers in Latin America often wash their livestock with a paste made of crushed G. sepium leaves to ward off torsalos (botflies). In the Philippines, the extract obtained from its leaves is made into anti-mange dog shampoo. [8]
G. sepium seems to be toxic to non-ruminants. The generic name Gliricidia means "mouse killer" in reference to the traditional use of its toxic seeds and bark as rodenticides. [14]
Some palatability challenges have been reported; animals seem to refuse the leaves on the basis of smell, but this depends on management and geography. [16]
Another limitation is frost intolerance and the lack of adaptation to a cool season: it is a tropical plant.
In terms of cultivation, it requires the presence of pollinators to set seeds, but is often propagated with stem cuttings despite it giving shallow roots. The seeds are often hard, smooth and (water impermeable when mature and dry, but a light scratching against coarse sandpaper or a rough cement floor can make them all take up water fast to germinate Further, it has invasive potential: its swift propagation has caused it to be considered a weed in Jamaica. [17]
Until now G. sepium has remained free of serious diseases; only a number of insect problems are reported in exotic environments, [16] but there are issues with defoliation under humid conditions. [18]
In late April, 2023 on the island of Montserrat, BWI, the Black bean bug (Brachyplatys subaeneus) was observed infesting this plant.
Language | Name |
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Marathi | गिरीपुष्प, ऊंदीरमारी, खताचे-झाड |
Konkani | सारया झाड |
Kannada | ಗೊಬ್ಬರದ ಗಿಡ |
Malayalam | ശീമക്കൊന്ന,പത്തല്, സെമ്മക്കൊന്ന |
Tamil | சீமை அகத்தி |
Tulu | ಈಟ್ದ ಮರ |
Sinhala | වැටහිරියා, ගිනිසීරියා, ලාඩාප්ප, මකුලත,ඇල්බීසියා,වැටහිර, ලංචි |
Thai | แคฝรั่ง |
Myanmar | ပဲချယ်ရီ၊ အညာချယ်ရီ၊ ကြွက်သေပင်၊ သင်္ဘောငုစပ် |
In Indonesia, Gliricidia sepium is known as gamal given by researcher R. Soetarjo Martoatmodjo in 1958 after Gamal Abdel Nasser –whose name also reminded him of the Arabic name for 'camel' (i.e. جَمَلjamal)– in the hopes that it would help Indonesia's wastelands heal and its other ecosystems endure just "like a camel crossing the Sahara desert"; [19] it has also been backronymed by some farmers as the anti-Malaysia slogan Ganjang Malaysia or "Down with Malaysia". [20]
Legumes are plants in the family Fabaceae, or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption; for livestock forage and silage; and as soil-enhancing green manure. Well-known legumes include beans, chickpeas, peanuts, lentils, lupins, mesquite, carob, tamarind, alfalfa, and clover. Legumes produce a botanically unique type of fruit – a simple dry fruit that develops from a simple carpel and usually dehisces on two sides.
Enterolobium cyclocarpum, commonly known as conacaste, guanacaste, caro caro, devil's ear tree, monkey-ear tree, or elephant-ear tree, is a species of flowering tree in the family Fabaceae, that is native to tropical regions of the Americas, from central Mexico south to northern Brazil (Roraima) and Venezuela. It is known for its large proportions, expansive, often spherical crown, and curiously shaped seedpods. The abundance of this tree, especially in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica, where it is prized for the shady relief it provides from the intense sun, coupled with its immensity, have made it a widely recognized species. It is the national tree of Costa Rica.
Vigna aconitifolia is a drought-resistant legume, commonly grown in arid and semi-arid regions of India. It is commonly called mat bean, moth bean, matki or dew bean. The pods, sprouts and protein-rich seeds of this crop are commonly consumed in India. Moth bean can be grown on many soil types, and can also act as a pasture legume.
Leucaena leucocephala is a small fast-growing mimosoid tree native to southern Mexico and northern Central America and is now naturalized throughout the tropics including parts of Asia.
Multipurpose trees or multifunctional trees are trees that are deliberately grown and managed for more than one output. They may supply food in the form of fruit, nuts, or leaves that can be used as a vegetable; while at the same time supplying firewood, adding nitrogen to the soil, or supplying some other combination of multiple outputs. "Multipurpose tree" is a term common to agroforestry, particularly when speaking of tropical agroforestry where the tree owner is a subsistence farmer.
Cytisus proliferus, tagasaste or tree lucerne, is a small spreading evergreen tree that grows 3–4 m (10–13 ft) high. It is a well known fertilizer tree. It is a member of the Fabaceae (pea) family and is indigenous to the dry volcanic slopes of the Canary Islands, but it is now grown in Australia, New Zealand and many other parts of the world as a fodder crop.
Acaciella angustissima is most recognized for its drought tolerance and its ability to be used as a green manure and ground covering. It is a perennial, deciduous, and belongs to the family Fabaceae (beans/legumes) and as it grows it starts as a shrub but eventually matures to a small tree. The tree has a high density of leaves along with small clumps of white flowers and creates 4–7 cm long seed pods. Acaciella angustissima is found in tropical areas around the equator since, its water needs can vary from 750 to 2,500 mm a year. It has an advantage it can withstand a moderate drought, since its leaves are retained even in long dry periods. Aside from being drought tolerant, Acaciella angustissima also has the benefit of being a green manure, since it has such a high leaf density, but also loses the majority of its leaves each season. So the leaves can be used in composting or can be saved and used as livestock feed. It should only be used as an additive to the feed and not the main source, since it also toxic in high doses.
Albizia lebbeck is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia. Common names in English include siris, Indian siris, East Indian walnut, Broome raintree, lebbeck, lebbek tree, frywood, koko and woman's tongue tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Siris is also a common name of the genus Albizia.
Macroptilium atropurpureum, commonly referred to as purple bush-bean, or siratro is a perennial legume recognized by its climbing, dense, green vines and deep purple flowers. The plant is indigenous to the tropical and subtropical regions of North, Central, and South America, as far north as Texas in the USA and as far south as Peru and Brazil. It has been introduced for use as a food for stock to many tropical regions around the world. It has become an invasive pest plant in a number of areas, including the north-eastern coast of Australia. Rich in protein, M. atropurpureum is commonly used for cattle pastures intercropped with grass, used in hay, or as a ground cover to prevent soil erosion and to improve soil quality.
Gliricidia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae and tribe Robinieae. Its native range is Mexico to Peru, but Gliricidia sepium has been widely introduced to other tropical zones.
Agroecology is an applied science that involves the adaptation of ecological concepts to the structure, performance, and management of sustainable agroecosystems. In Latin America, agroecological practices have a long history and vary between regions but share three main approaches or levels: plot scale, farm scale, and food system scale. Agroecology in Latin American countries can be used as a tool for providing both ecological, economic, and social benefits to the communities that practice it, as well as maintaining high biodiversity and providing refuges for flora and fauna in these countries. Due to its broad scope and versatility, it is often referred to as "a science, a movement, a practice."
Flemingia macrophylla is a tropical woody leguminous shrub in the family Fabaceae. It is a multipurpose plant widely used in agriculture, crop improvement, fodder, dyes and for various therapeutic purposes. Perhaps, it is the most versatile species of Flemingia in terms of adaptation, medicinal and agricultural applications.
Desmanthus virgatus is a species of flowering plant in the legume family that is known by many common names, including wild tantan, prostrate bundleflower, dwarf koa, desmanto, acacia courant, acacia savane, pompon blank, adormidera, brusca prieta, frijolillo, ground tamarind, guajillo, guashillo, huarangillo, langalet, petit acacia, petit cassie, petit mimosa, virgate mimosa, and slender mimosa, as well as simply desmanthus. It is native to the American tropics and subtropics but is present elsewhere as an introduced species. In some areas it is cultivated as a fodder and forage crop.
Hyparrhenia rufa is a species of grass known by the common names jaraguá, jaraguá grass, and giant thatching grass. It is native to Africa and it is widespread in the world as a cultivated forage and fodder for livestock and a naturalized and sometimes invasive species.
Centrosema pubescens, common name centro or butterfly pea, is a legume in the family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae, and tribe Phaseolae. It is native to Central and South America and cultivated in other tropical areas as a forage for livestock.
Sesbania rostrata is a small semi-aquatic leguminous tree, in the genus Sesbania. It forms a symbiotic relationship with Gram-negative rhizobia which leads to the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules on both stem and roots. It is mainly used as green manure to improve soil fertility due to its fast growth, high biomass production and ability to convert large amounts of atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for plants. Other applications include production of high quality forage for livestock and it is a source of fuel-wood.
Chamaecrista rotundifolia, the round-leaf cassia, also known as pasto rastiero, roundleaf sensitive pea, and Wynn cassia, is a short-lived perennial or self-generating annual plant in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae of the family Fabaceae. It originated in North America, Mesoamerica, the Caribbean, and Tropical South America but is grown in other parts of the world today. It grows in dry soils and areas of low rainfall, as well as in low-fertility and acidic soils with high levels of solubilized aluminum. It can also reduce erosion and runoff over time. These factors make it a potential asset to farmers in the African Subtropics and elsewhere where soil quality is a barrier to farming. It serves as a source of feed for livestock and acts as a green fertilizer, raising soil quality and nutrient content which can improve yields. These combined benefits make round-leaf cassia a potential solution to many problems faced by poor farmers and their communities.
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Gliricidia maculata is a species of fast-growing leguminous tree in the family Fabaceae, native to southeastern Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. It is often considered a synonym of Gliricidia sepium and shares many of its common names and uses. It is used to provide shade for growing tea, coffee, and cocoa, as a green manure, as a forage, particularly for goats and sheep, and in living fences.