Taxon: Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth

 
Genus: Gliricidia
Family: Fabaceae (alt.Leguminosae)
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Robinieae
Nomen number: 17647
Place of publication: W. G. Walpers, Repert. bot. syst. 1:679. 1842 (Steudel, Nomencl. bot. ed. 2, 1:688. 1840, pro syn.)
Link to protologue:
Comment: authorship verified from original literature, where Kunth is acknowledged (p. III) as "fautor" (W. Greuter, pers. comm. via e-mail to K. Gandhi on 19 Dec 2008)
Typification:
Name Verified on: 28-jun-1989 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last Changed: 10-may-2012
Species priority site is: Natl. Germplasm Repository - Miami (MIA)
Accessions: 1 in National Plant Germplasm System (GoogleMap)

Synonyms:

Common names:

  • Nicaraguan cocoashade  (Source: Hortus 3) - English
  • quick-stick  (Source: Pl Res SEAs) - English
  • mãe-do-cacau  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
  • planta-mãe-do-cacau  (Source: pers. comm.) - Portuguese (Brazil)
  • cacahuananche  (Source: Pap AU Wagen) - Spanish
  • madre de cacao  (Source: F Panama) - Spanish
  • madriado  (Source: Pap AU Wagen) - Spanish
  • madricacao  (Source: Pap AU Wagen) - Spanish
  • mata ratón  (Source: Trianea) - Spanish

Economic Importance:

  • Bee plants: honey production (fide Trop Leg)
  • Environmental: agroforestry (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Environmental: shade/shelter (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Environmental: soil improver (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Animal food: potential as forage (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Fuels: charcoal (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Fuels: fuelwood (fide Pl Res SEAs 4:133-134. 1992)
  • Materials: wood (timber fide Syst Bot M 45:101. 1995)
  • Medicines: folklore (fide Herbs Commerce ed2)

Distributional Range:

    Native

    Northern America
    • Mexico (c. & s.)

    Southern America
    • CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua


    Cultivated (also cult.)

    Naturalized (natzd. elsewhere)

References:

  1. Barbosa, C. 1994. Contribución al conocimiento de las leguminosas colombianas. I. La tribu Galegeae (Brown) Torrey & Gray, 1838 sensu lato (Trianea) 5:47.
  2. Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. (pers. comm.)
  3. Lavin, M. & M. Sousa S. 1995. Phylogenetic systematics and biogeography of the tribe Robinieae (Leguminosae) Syst. Bot. Monogr. 45:93.
  4. Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium Hortus third. 1976 (Hortus 3)
  5. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. 2000 (Herbs Commerce ed2)
  6. McVaugh, R. Flora Novo-Galiciana. 1983- (F NGalicia)
  7. National Academy of Sciences Tropical legumes: resources for the future. 1979 (Trop Leg)
  8. 't Mannetje, L. & R. M. Jones, eds. 1992. Forages (Pl Res SEAs) 4:133-137.
  9. Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. Flora of Panama. 1943-1980 (F Panama)

Check other web resources for Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth :

  • TROPICOS: Nomenclatural and Specimen Database of the Missouri Botanical Garden
  • ILDIS: International Legume Database & Information Service
  • Mansfeld: Mansfeld's World Databas of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops
  • ePIC: Electronic Plant Information Centre of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
  • AGRICOLA: Article Citation Database or NAL Catalog of USDA's National Agricultural Library
  • Entrez: NCBI's search engine for PubMed citations, GenBank sequences, etc.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN-Taxonomy).
National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL: http://germoplasma.iniaf.gob.bo/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=17647. Accessed 7 junio 2026.