| | Commercial timbers |
Nomenclature etc. FABACEAE-MIMOSOIDEAE. L. leucocephala (Lam.) De Wit; L. collinsii Britton & Rose; L. esculenta (DC.) Benth.; L. diversifolia (Schltdl.) Benth.; L. lanceolata S. Watson; L. magnifica (C.E. Hughes) C.E. Hughes; L. matudae (Zarate) C.E. Hughes; L. multicaptulata Schery; L. pulverulenta (Schltdl.) Benth.; L. salvadorensis Standl. ex Britton & Rose; L. shannonii Donn. Sm.; L. trichandra (Zucc.) Urb.; L. trichodes (Jacq.) Benth. Trade and local names: huaxin, uaxim (MX); koa haole (US-Hawaii); jumbie bean, horse tamarind, leadtree (US); white babool, nagurjun, nattu cavundal, kaniti (IN); 'Leucaena' (trade). Not protected under CITES regulations.
Tree. Geographic distribution: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indomalesia (cult.), North America, Mexico and Central America, Caribbean, tropical South America.
General. Growth ring boundaries distinct. Heartwood basically brown, yellow; without streaks. Sapwood colour distinct from heartwood colour. Odour indistinct or absent. Density 0.6–0.8(–0.9) g/cm³.
Vessels. Vessels present. Wood semi ring porous to diffuse porous. Vessels arranged in no specific pattern, in multiples, commonly in short (2–3 vessels) radial rows. Average tangential vessel diameter 100–200(–250) µm. Average number of vessels/mm² 5–10. Perforation plates simple. Intervessel pits alternate, average diameter (vertical) 7–10 µm, pits vestured. Vessel-ray pits with distinct borders, similar to intervessel pits. Helical thickenings absent. Tyloses absent. Other deposits present (light to dark brown).
Tracheids and fibres. Fibres of medium wall thickness to very thick-walled. Average fibre length 840–1000–1150 µm. Fibre pits mainly restricted to radial walls, simple to minutely bordered. Fibres septate and non-septate, or non-septate; evenly distributed.
Axial parenchyma. Axial parenchyma banded. Bands marginal (or seemingly marginal). Bands fine. Marginal bands often discontinuous, conspicuous only through concentration of prismatic crystals. Axial parenchyma apotracheal, or paratracheal. Apotracheal axial parenchyma diffuse and diffuse-in-aggregates. Paratracheal axial parenchyma vasicentric, aliform, and confluent. Aliform parenchyma of the lozenge type. Axial parenchyma as strands. Average number of cells per strand: 3–5.
Rays. Rays 4–7 per tangential mm, multiseriate, 2–4(–5) cells wide. Height of large rays up to 500 µm. Rays composed of a single cell type (homocellular); homocellular ray cells procumbent.
Storied structures. Storied structure present or absent, rays not storied, axial parenchyma storied (only in some specimens, difficult to detect), vessel elements not storied.
Secretory structures. Intercellular canals absent.
Cambial variants. Included phloem absent.
Mineral inclusions. Crystals present, prismatic, located in axial parenchyma cells. Crystal-containing axial parenchyma cells chambered and not chambered. Number of crystals per cell or chamber one. Crystals almost exclusively in cells of marginal bands and single (diffuse) strands. Silica not observed.
Physical and chemical tests. Heartwood not fluorescent. Water extract fluorescent (weakly greenish-blue); colour of water extract colourless to brown. Ethanol extract not fluorescent. Colour of ethanol extract colourless to brown, or red. Splinter burns to full ash. Ash white to grey to bright white.
Illustrations. • Transverse section. Leucaena glauca. • Tangential section. Leucaena glauca. • Radial section. Leucaena glauca.
The interactive key allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting specified attributes, summaries of attributes within groups of taxa, and geographical distribution.
Cite this publication as: ‘Richter, H.G., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2000 onwards. Commercial timbers: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval. In English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish. Version: 9th April 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
