1 / 22

Lead Tree

Learn about the lead tree, a shrub or small tree native to Mexico and Central America. Discover its economic uses, distribution, impacts, and management strategies to prevent its spread in Florida.

christophermelvin
Télécharger la présentation

Lead Tree

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Lead Tree Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) Fabaceae

  2. Biology • Also known as leucaena • Shrub or small tree < 20 feet tall • Native to Mexico and Central America • Used for fuel wood, timber • Animal fodder • Windbreaks and shade • Legume plant - capable of fixing nitrogen

  3. Background Economic Uses • Introduced to Florida for animal fodder and erosion control

  4. Distribution • Found throughout much of south and west Florida, Miami-Dade, Monroe counties • Also found in Florida Keys • Commonly found along roadways and disturbed areas, forest edges, coastal strands

  5. Lead Tree Distribution in Florida

  6. Impacts • Category II invasive species (FLEPPC) • Limited spread into undisturbed sites • Forms dense thickets, displacing native vegetation • Multiple shoots form when cut back, responds favorably to fire

  7. Identification

  8. Mature Plant • Shrub to small tree 15 to 20 feet in height • Grows in dense thickets • Multiple shoots • Multiple plants

  9. Leaves • Alternately arranged • Bipinnate compound • 6 to 20 inches long • 12 to 15 leaflet pairs per branch • Leaf arrangement gives mimosa fern-like or feathery appearance

  10. Flowers & Seed Pods • Flowers clustered on ends of branches • Seed pods flat & green, turning brown at maturity • 20 seed/pod, glossy brown, oval and flat

  11. Management Preventative Cultural Mechanical Biological Chemical

  12. Preventative • Limit planting as a forage or utility crop • Remove existing plants, including resprouts and before seeds are produced • Avoid use of possibly contaminated mulch with lead tree seeds • Prevent seed spread and dispersal • Rouge out trees in abandoned areas

  13. Cultural • Alternative forage and erosion control plants to replace lead tree • Programs to educate ranchers about the problems associated with lead tree and proper identification • Maintain good ground cover and mixture of plant species to reduce establishment

  14. Biological • Managed grazing by cattle to prevent seed formation is effective

  15. Mechanical • Hand pull young seedlings, including all roots, repeated pulling for resprouts • Cut tree down at ground level • Girdling is effective for large trees • Cut through bark approximately 6 inches above the ground, encircling tree base • Mowing is effective on small saplings and resprouts, but must be repeated

  16. Chemical - Foliar • Over-the-top applications for seedlings, resprouts and small trees • Thoroughly wet leaves with herbicide • Triclopyr – 2% solution • Glyphosate – 2 to 3% solution • Clopyralid - 0.2 to 0.4% solution • Use surfactant at 0.25% • Best results applied July to October

  17. Chemical - Basal • Individual trees, near desirable species • Use 25% triclopyr solution with basal oil • Apply 12 to 15 inches above ground on tree trunk • Wet thoroughly for good control, spray until run-off is noticeable at ground line

  18. Chemical – Cut Stump • Individual trees, near desirable species • Cut trunks/stems horizonally at or near ground level • Apply 25% solution of glyphosate or triclopyr • Cover the outer 20% of the stump • Marker (blue) dye is helpful

  19. Useful Links • Floridata Homepage: http://www.floridata.com • University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: http://aquat1.ifas.ufl.edu/welcome.html • University of Florida’s Cooperative Extension Electronic Data Information Source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/index.html

  20. Useful Links • The Plant Conservation Alliance's Alien Plant Working Group. Weeds Gone Wild: Alien Plant Invaders of Natural Areas: http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/index.htm • Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk (PIER). Plant Threats to Pacific Ecosystems: http://www.hear.org/pier/threats.htm • USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Plants Database: http://plants.usda.gov.

  21. Literature Cited Langeland, K.A. and K. Craddock Burks. 1998. Identification and Biology of Non-Native Plants in Florida's Natural Areas. IFAS Publication SP 257. University of Florida, Gainesville. 165 pp

More Related