Golden-ball Lead Tree
Leucaena retusa
Family: Fabaceae
CHARACTERISTICS
Large shrub or small tree, deciduous, thornless, growing up to 20’ tall and 15’ wide. This plant blooms in spring through summer with large, fragrant puffball flowers that are nectar rich and followed by legume pods.
LANDSCAPE USE
Nice patio tree, due to its smaller size. Good screen.
GROWING CONDITIONS
AN EXPLANATION OF TERMS USED
SUN full to part sun
WATER moderate
SOIL not picky, but well-drained
HARDINESS hardy to 0-5°F
BASIN middle zone
CONTAINER tolerates containers
NUTRITION low
MAINTENANCE very little
ECOLOGY
Bees and butterflies enjoy the flowers. Seeds are consumed by some birds. As a legume, this plant can probably host some generalist butterflies and moths that use legumes.
ETHNOBOTANY
The seeds have been used as food. Animals such as livestock and white-tailed deer find the herbage palatable. The seeds are also high in protein. Littleleaf leadtree leaves and seeds are commonly browsed by cattle, sheep and goats.
NATURAL DISTRIBUTION
Native to Chihuahua and Coahuila in Mexico and Texas and New Mexico in the United States in rocky, limestone areas; dry canyons.
TAXONOMY AND NAME
This plant is in the Fabaceae, the legume family. There are 25 species of Leucaena.
The genus name, Leucaena, appears to derive from the Greek verb leukainein and means “to become white,” perhaps referring to the some plants in this genus (with white flowers). The specific epithet is from the Latin word 'retusus' meaning "a blunt" or "notched tip" in reference tips of the leaflets.
There are a few very similar species of Leucaena that are worth looking into.
Flower detail photo by Octavia Sánchez, iNaturalist
Seedpods follow the flowers, photo by Austin R. Kelly, iNaturalist
Leucaena greggii is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae. It is found only in Mexico. It is threatened by habitat loss. The species name greggii honors Josiah Gregg (1806 – 1850), a merchant, explorer, naturalist, and author of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. Photo by Álvaro San José Elizundia, iNaturalist
Leucaena involucrata is a species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. It is endemic to Sonora state in northwestern Mexico. Photo by Sue Carnahan, iNaturalist
The Great Leadtree (Leucaena pulverulenta) is found in southmost Texas south to Chiapas in southern Mexico. Photo by ryanvrodriguez, iNaturalist