Gliricidia sepium is a perennial fast-growing deciduous or evergreen legume tree that grows 2-15m tall. It has a smooth whitish-gray to reddish-brown stem about 1m in diameter.
It is easily recognizable by its top crown-like bushy leaves and its vibrant clusters of pink to lilac flowers.
Gliricidia sepium Classification
- Domain: Eukaryota
- Kingdom: Plantae
- Phylum: Spermatophyta
- Subphylum: Angiospermae
- Class: Dicotyledonae
- Order: Fabales
- Family: Fabaceae
- Genus: Gliricidia
- Species: Gliricidia sepium
- Common Names: Gliricidia, Mexican lilac, Mother of Cacao, Aaron’s rod, Nicaraguan cocoashade, Quickstick, Tree of iron, and St. Vincent plum.
Nativity and Distribution
Gliricidia sepium is native to Mexico and Central America. Today it is found in countries along the tropics such as:
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- India
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Nigeria
- Kenya
- Uganda
Physical Characteristics
- Leaves: Pinnate, alternate, about 30 cm long.
- Fruits: Green to reddish-purple pods.
- Stems: Woody. It can grow 2-15m tall.
- Flowers: Bright pink to lilac flowers with white tinges.
- Roots: Taproot system for seed propagation and lateral system when propagated through cuttings.
Kakawate is a small to medium-sized thornless tree that grows 2-15m tall and may reach 20m in favorable conditions. It is easily recognizable by its bushy crown-like pinnate leaves and its vibrant clusters of pink to lilac flowers.
It may have a single or multiple stems, cylindrical about 1m wide. The stem has a smooth pale whitish-gray bark, slightly fissured with raised lenticels. The branches are well spread giving it a bushy and a crown-like appearance.
The leaves are alternate, pinnate, about 15-35 cm long. The leaflets are ovate, opposite, and larger at the tip, about 1-4.8 cm wide and 2-8 cm long with purplish tanning present on the lower surface.
The tree produces pink to lilac flowers with white tinges 2-15 cm long on the end of the branches. They have a distinct pale yellow spot at the base. For deciduous trees, flowering mostly occurs between January and March. For the evergreen types, flowering is sporadic with little seed production.
The pods are 14-22mm wide and 10-17 cm long, each containing 3-10 round, flat, yellow to orange-brown seeds 8-11.5mm wide.
Reproduction, Dispersal, and Life Cycle
- Life Cycle: Perennial.
- Seeds: Each pod produces 3-10 seeds.
- Climate: Tropical climate with relatively dry and moderate rainfall.
- Dispersal: Explosive mechanism, wind, water, and agricultural activities.
Gliricidia sepium behaves as a perennial and reproduces by seed in its native range. When the pods mature, they open explosively, catapulting the seeds about 25-40m from the tree. The seeds can also be dispersed by wind and water.
The seeds germinate easily when located on the surface and up to a depth of 1-2 cm. Under good conditions, they can retain their viability for twelve months.
In areas where seed production is poor, kakawate is propagated by cuttings. They are also a favorable propagation method in wet areas where the soil is favorable for direct planting.
Similar Plants
- Gliricidia maculata
- Gliricidia breningii
- Cassia javanica
Uses
- It is grown for its protein-rich pasture and silage for livestock.
- It is used for soil improvement due to its nitrogen-fixing abilities.
- The prunings are used as green manure to improve crop yield.
- The tree is used as live fencing for protecting crop farms and fruit orchards from animals.
- Mother of Cacao is used as a shade tree in cacao plantations.
- It is used for soil stabilization due to its easy propagation and quick growth.
- It is grown as an ornamental for its beautiful flowers and as a nectar plant for bees.
- The flowers are consumed as food.
- The bark, leaf, and root juice are used as a traditional medicine to manage wounds and itches.
- Dried leaves and bark are used to kill rodents in Central America.
- It is used as a support plant for passion, yam, black pepper, and vanilla vines.
- The stem is used to make construction poles and as fuel.
- The leaf paste is used as an insect repellent on livestock and other animals.
Impact on Farms and Environment
Gliricidia sepium is a versatile tree that provides numerous benefits including soil improvement, stabilization, and erosion control positively impacting agroforestry. It is also an important fodder crop only second to Leucaena leucocephala, providing highly nutritive feed that improves animal health.
As a popular fencing tree, it is used to create live fencing, mark boundaries, and provide support for vining crops like passion, vanilla, and black pepper.
There is evidence to show that it can act as a diversionary host plant for pests, protecting crops from insect, viral, and fungal attacks.
However, as a fast-growing tree, it has the potential to become weedy. It can tolerate cutting and is often an aggressive pioneer species after slashing and burning in its native areas.
Control
Since Kakawate is a popular agroforestry tree, farmers and landowners manage it by pollarding and coppicing, two common pruning methods.
Pollarding is recommended when Gliricidia sepium is intercropped with perennials like tea and coffee and in monocropping systems. Coppicing is appropriate when new growth is a priority.
Lead Editor for Insight Weeds.