Bwa-yo - Société Audubon Haiti

15 Lisina...Delen
Subspecies:
Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit subsp. glabrata (Rose) S. Zarate
Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit subsp. leucocephala
Synonyms:
Subsp. glabrata: 1. glabrata Rose
Subsp.leucocephala: Acaciaglauca Willd., 1. glauca (Willd.) Benth., 1. latisiliqua(L.)
Gillis & Stearn, Mimosa leucocephala Lam.
Family: Fabaceae (= Leguminosae) Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Common Names:
Subsp. glabrata: DR, H - leucaena (lisina); US - giant leucaena, Salvador leucaena,
Peru leucaena.
Subsp. leucocephala: H - bois bourro (bwa bouwo), tcha-tcha marron (tcha tcha
mawon), graines de lin (delen), graines de lin pays (delen peyi), madlenn; DR ­
granadillo bobo, granadino, granolino, lino, lino criollo; C - aroma blanca, aroma boba,
aroma mansa, soplillo; PR - acacia, acacia paJida, barcill0 , campeche, hediondilla,
tamarindillo, wild tamarind; US - Hawaiian leucaena, leadtree.
Importance: The shrubby subspecies leucocephala is considered a weed in Haiti, but
plays an important role in there-vegetation offallow or degraded sites where it is grazed
by goats and converted to charcoal. The arboreal subspecies glabrata is a fast-growing
general utility tree for shade, house construction and other wood products. Multiple
uses as fodder, fuelwood, green manure and soil conservation are combined when the
species is managed as hedgerows along the contour ofmountain slopes. The advantages
ofeasy propagation, wide adaptability, and fast growth must be weighed against the low
wood durability, weediness, and psyllid (Heteropsylla cubana) attacks when selecting
the ideal niche for subspecies glabrata in Haiti.
Taxonomy and Botanical Features: Leucaena is a New World genus comprising about
17 species (Hughes, 1993). The confusing taxonomy surrounding one ofthe more common
species, 1. leucocephala, was resolved by Zarate (1987), who recognized 2 subspecies:
leucocephala and glabrata. Subspecies leucocephala, locally known as delen
and known internationally as the 'Hawaiian' variety, rarely grows taller than 6 m, with
leaves comprised of6-9 pairs ofpinnae, 9-18 pairs ofleaflets, 9-12 cm long, and pods
13-16 cm long with a dense pubescence. Subspecies glabrata, known as the 'Giant,'
'Salvador,' or 'Peru' variety, is represented in Haiti mostly by the K series of cultivars
developed in Hawaii (e.g., K8, K28, K636). It can grow up to 20 m tall, with leaves
comprising of3-8 pairs ofpinnae, 11-24 pairs ofglabrous leaflets, 8-15 mm long, and
glabrous pods 11-18 cm long by 1.5-2.3 mm wide. Natural hybrids may occur between
the 2 subspecies, though levels ofoutcrossing are low, with both subspecies being highly
self-compatible. The much more common hybrid in Haiti is the result of subspecies
glabrata as the pollen parent and;(Ei. diversifolia as the maternal parent. The latter is represented
in Haiti as the tetraploid 1. diversifolia subsp. diversifolia, introduced mostly
as K156 from Hawaii.
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