Leucaena matudae

Cultivation Details

Leucaena matudae is a plant of the semi-arid tropics. It grows in southern Mexico where rainfall is low, between 500 - 80Omm, and highly seasonal with a dry season of up to 7 months. It does not experience frosts^[1]. Found in the wild on freely-draining, dry, rocky, calcareous slopes^[1]. Established plants are drought tolerant^[1]. Leucaena matudae is one of only five species in the genus judged to be of lower weediness hazard than Leucaena leucocephala due to its less precocious and prolific seeding^[1]. A slow-growing plant^[1]. The plant is highly resistant to damage by psyllids^[1]. The unripe seedpods are harvested by climbing the trees and lopping the terminal branches or groups of pods, often crudely, with machetes, small knives or cutting poles. Annual pollarding in this way apparently causes only limited damage to the trees which resprout and fruit annually^[1]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby^[2].