Tree Species (Scientific Name)
Gliricidia sepium
Livestock Forage
Fuelwood
Lumber
Medicinal
Ornamental
Product
English Common Name
Grow stick
Colombian Common Name
Matarratón, Acacia, Desnudo florecido
Tree Family
Fabaceae
Average Leaf Size (cm)
30cm
Length
×
12cm
Width
Tree Height
Small (10–20m)
Elevational Range (m)
5–1900m
Distribution
Native
Exotic
Native to Colombia
Native to
Region
Americas
Latin America
Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, South Caribbean
Colombia
Antioquia, Caldas, Cauca, Cundinamarca, Huila, Nariño, Risaralda, Santander, Tolima, Valle del Cauca
Exotic in
Latin America
Africa, Aruba, Asia, Brazil, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Marianas, Oceania, Puerto Rico, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, Windward Islands
Coffee Agroforestry Information
Coffee System
Arabica
Coffee Impact
Unknown
Cultivation
Planted
Natural
Tree Management
Propagated by seeds and cuttings. Each fruit contains between 3 and 10 seeds.
Tree Benefits and Uses
Farmer Uses
- Livestock Forage
- Fuelwood
- Lumber
- Medicinal
- Ornamental
- Product
Leaves have a high protein value and are used as livestock forage. It acts as an abortifacient. Cataplasms of the leaves are used against sunstroke, acne, and contusions; leaves are also used as an antihistamine, antipyretic, and diuretic. Leaves and bark decoction is used to treat ailments.
Used to adorn and decorate spaces.
Leaves can be used as an insecticide, and roots produce a poisonous substance used as a rodenticide. Used as firewood.
Used on floors, parks, rustic furniture, wooden tiles, interior finishes, turned items, shoe molds, and handicrafts.
Farm Services
- Coffee Shade
- Soil Improvement
- Erosion Control
- Reforestation
- Nitrogen Fixation
Shade for coffee, cocoa, vanilla, and tea crops. Soil conservation and recovery of degraded areas, provides biomass. Establishment of living fences. Helps in nitrogen fixation in soil through the roots. Stabilization of degraded soils.
Biodiversity Benefits
Yes
Attracts pollinators, as it is a melliferous species.
Citations
Citations
Plants of the World Online (POWO). (2024). Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/;
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2024). IUCN Red List. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.iucnredlist.org/;
Fern, Ken (2024). Tropical Plants Database. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://tropical.theferns.info/;
Universidad EIA. (2024). Catálogo virtual de Flora del Valle de Aburrá. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://catalogofloravalleaburra.eia.edu.co/;
World Flora Online. (2024). World Flora Online. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.worldfloraonline.org/;
Universidad Nacional de Colombia. (2024). Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/es/;
Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). (2024). GBIF. Published on the Internet. Retrieved from https://www.gbif.org/es/
Giraldo P, Laina A, López JH, Aguirre JF, Toro J. (2009). Café, una alternativa para la Conservación. Wildlife Conservation Society, WWF Colombia, Asociación Red Colombiana de Reservas Naturales de la Sociedad Civil, Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia
Duarte, LE (2005). Plantas útiles de la cuenca del Orinoco. BP Exploration Company (Colombia) Limited, Ecopetrol y Corporinoquia