Can dominate ecosystems

A shrub or small tree, extensively used in farming as a nitrogen-fixing fodder. Established stands of leucaena form dense thickets, hindering the movement of wildlife and excluding all other plants. Weed risk: extreme. Leaves are about 25 cm long and bipinnate, with dull, greyish-green leaflets. Flower heads are spherical and creamy yellow in colour on short stalks about 5 cm long. Fruit are flattened pods up to 15 cm long occur in dense clusters, each pod containing around 20 glossy brown, flat seeds that scatter when ripe. Leucocephala means white head. Native to Central and South America, Leucaena is not a prohibited or restricted invasive plant under the Biosecurity Act 2014. However, it considered an environmental weed and a problem in South-East Queensland.

Photo: Robert Whyte