Abstract
Leucaena leucocephala is divided into two subspecies: (i) L. leucocephala subsp. leucocephala, which is known as “common leucaena” or “koa haole,” and (ii) L. leucocephala subsp. glabrata, which is known as “giant leucaena.” Common leucaena is a small bushy shrub that forms a lot of seeds, because of which it can spread easily and is considered invasive. Giant leucaena, on the other hand, is a tree with large branches. It produces much less seeds and is not considered invasive. Giant leucaena can grow to become big trees of up to ~20 m in height, or it can be grown as a legume fodder by maintaining the plants as dwarf bushes through repeated harvest of foliage, up to ten times a year. The wood of giant leucaena can be used for timber, paper pulp, or biofuel production. In the Hawaiian Islands, many eroded habitats, such as roadsides, hill slopes, and barren lands, are generally occupied by common leucaena. Replacing common leucaena with giant leucaena in these locations may create new opportunities for cattle farming, animal feed production, and development of other related industry. Dr. James Brewbaker and his colleagues at the University of Hawaii developed many high-yielding cultivars of giant leucaena suitable for both fodder and wood production. Besides growing in Hawaii, these cultivars are also widely grown in many other tropical and subtropical countries.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the USDA NIFA Hatch project HA05029-H, managed by CTAHR, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu. Authors would like to thank Dr. James Brewbaker for the useful discussion.
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Ishihara, K.L., Honda, M.D.H., Bageel, A., Borthakur, D. (2018). Leucaena leucocephala: A Leguminous Tree Suitable for Eroded Habitats of Hawaiian Islands. In: Dagar, J., Singh, A. (eds) Ravine Lands: Greening for Livelihood and Environmental Security. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8043-2_18
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