Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Steud.

Trees to 10 m tall with spreading crowns. Leaves usually alternate, subop-posite or opposite, to ca. 30 cm long; leaflets 5-19, the lateral leaflets mostly opposite, oval to elliptic, 2-7 cm long, 1-3 cm wide, usually glabrous above, sparsely pubescent and lighter beneath, nearly always purple mottled beneath when dry; rachis and petiole lightly to evenly pubescent, petiolules pubescent; stipules minute, caducous. Inflorescences conspicuous, preceding the leaves; ra-cemes clustered from branches or older wood and hence the inflorescence ap-pearing compound; individual racemes 4-15 cm long, the flowers borne singly, uniformly distributed along the axis; bracts minute, soon deciduous. Flowers pink and lilac to white, the petals usually tinged with yellow toward the base; pedicels 5-10 mm; hypanthium cup shaped, ca. 5 mm long, the calyx teeth low to absent; standard nearly round, erect, ca. 20 mm long, 15-20 mm wide, emar-ginate, the claw slender, to 5 mm long, the wings oblong, ca. 20 mm long, 5 mm wide, the keel petals ca. 18 mm long, ca. 5 mm wide, coherent at the base;

A tropical plant. It grows best in warm, seasonally dry climates. It occurs in areas with 900-1500 mm annual rainfall. It grows between sea level and 1200 m altitude. It suits areas with a mean annual temperature of 20-27°C. It does best with light well composted soil. The soil needs to be well drained. It needs a protected sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It grows with soil pH between 5.0-8.5. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

The leaves have been reported as being eaten. They are used in a fish dish. The flowers are cooked as potherbs and also folded into an egg batter and fried. CAUTION: They are also reported as poisonous. Leaves are used to kill rats. As all parts are poisonous it is probably better not to eat any part.

Plants are grown from seed. The seed needs treatment to help it to start growing. Plants are easy to grow from large cuttings or mature wood. The cuttings should be 4.7 cm long.