Leucaena magnifica

Botanical Description

Leucaena magnifica is a small to medium-sized partly deciduous tree usually growing 10 - 15 metres tall, occasionally reaching 20 metres. Typically branchy when young, older trees tend to have a short clear bole up to 6 metres and spreading angular branching with an open rounded crown. The bole is usually 20 - 30cm in diameter, occasionally to 70cm[ 1518 Title Leucaena A Genetic Resources Handbook Publication Tropical Forestry Papers No. 37 Author Hughes C.E. Website https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/leucaena/ Publisher Oxford Forestry Institute; Oxford, UK Year 1998 ISBN 0 85074 145 9 Description An excellent guide to the genus, giving detailed information on the various species ].. The plant is harvested from the wild for its wood, and is grown in fields to provide shade and improve soil fertility. Leucaena magnifica occupies a highly restricted distribution covering a total area of less than 400 square kilometres. Within that area, it occurs in small, highly fragmented, scattered and degraded populations and is now reduced to fewer than 400 known individuals in its native range[ 1518 Title Leucaena A Genetic Resources Handbook Publication Tropical Forestry Papers No. 37 Author Hughes C.E. Website https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/leucaena/ Publisher Oxford Forestry Institute; Oxford, UK Year 1998 ISBN 0 85074 145 9 Description An excellent guide to the genus, giving detailed information on the various species ]. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ]. Although this species does not generally seed until year 2 - 3, it can produce prodigious quantities of seed. If introduced into cultivation, it poses some risk of weediness in open habitats and on ruderal sites[ 1518 Title Leucaena A Genetic Resources Handbook Publication Tropical Forestry Papers No. 37 Author Hughes C.E. Website https://herbaria.plants.ox.ac.uk/bol/leucaena/ Publisher Oxford Forestry Institute; Oxford, UK Year 1998 ISBN 0 85074 145 9 Description An excellent guide to the genus, giving detailed information on the various species ].