Gliricidia sepiumis a medium-sized tree and can grow from 10 to 12 meters high. The bark is smooth and its color can range from a whitish gray to deep red-brown. is found on volcanic soils in its native range in Central America and Mexico. However, it can also grow on sandy, clay and lime stone soils.
It has composite leaves that can be 30 cm long. Each leaf is composed of leaflets that are about 2 to 7 cm long and 1 to 3 cm wide.
The fruit is a pod which is about 10 to 15 cm in length. It is green when unripe and becomes yellow-brown when it reaches maturity. The pod produces 4 to 10 round brown seeds . The tree grows well in acidic soils with a
The flowers are located on the end of branches that have no leaves. These flowers have a bright pink to lilac color that is tinged with white. A pale yellow spot is usually at the flower's base.
Benefits | Desirability
The tree is used in many tropical and sub-tropical countries for various purposes such as live fencing,fodder, coffee shade, firewood, green manure and rat poison. Live fences can be grown from 1.5 m to 2.0 m stakes of Gliricidia sepium in just a month.
G. sepium is also used for its medicinal and insect repellent properties. Farmers in Latin America often wash their livestock with a paste made of crushed G. sepium leaves to ward off torsalos. In thePhilippines, the extract obtained from its leaves is used to remove external parasites.