Why is subabul used as fodder?

Its leaves are high in protein and regrow quickly after cutting, making it a popular fast-growing fodder tree for livestock in many parts of India.

Is subabul considered invasive?

In some regions, yes — its fast growth and prolific seeding have allowed it to spread aggressively outside cultivation in parts of the world, so it's sometimes managed carefully despite its usefulness.

How is subabul different from babool?

Subabul usually lacks the obvious paired thorns of many babool/acacia trees, has soft fern-like bipinnate leaves, white powder-puff flower heads, and many flat brown pods.

✿Mimosaceae · Leucaena

Subabul / Subaul

Leucaena leucocephala

Also known as Lead Tree, Leucaena, Shite Lead Tree (Mal.)

Tree

Habit: Tree
Found in India: Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu & more
Flowering: Throughout the year

Identify this plant with SASYA

How to identify Subabul

Identify Subabul by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.

Look for a tree habit.
Check the distinctive field mark: Fast-growing weedy tree, small white ball flowers (lead tree).
Confirm leaf shape: Feathery bipinnate leaflets.
Confirm flower colour: White.
Confirm fruit type: Legume.
In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
In India, compare location records such as Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and nearby regions.

Plant Details

Scientific name: Leucaena leucocephala
Genus: Leucaena
Family: Mimosaceae
Habit: Tree
Habitat: Plains and foothills of forests
Habitat type: Forest
Native to: Tropical America
Distribution: Pantropical
Found in India: Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Goa, Manipur, Mizoram, Puducherry
Flowering & fruiting: Throughout the year
Conservation status: Not Evaluated (NE)

Leaf characters

Leaf shape: Feathery bipinnate leafletsrecorded

Typical of the family

Arrangement: Alternate
Type: Compound
Margin: Entire
Venation: Pinnate

Characters marked “recorded” are for Subabul itself; the rest are typical of the Mimosaceae family.

Flower & fruit characters

Flower colour: Whiterecorded“Its inflorescence is a cream-coloured puff with many stamens.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fruit type: LegumerecordedA dry pod that splits open along two seams (typical of the pea/bean family).“one pod contains between 15 and 30 seeds.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Typical of the family

Flower symmetry: Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
Inflorescence: Head
Fruit: Legume

Characters marked “recorded” are for Subabul itself; the rest are typical of the Mimosaceae family — flowering plants only.

Local Names

Hindi: सफ़ैद बबूल Safed babool,सुबबूल subabul
Nepali: इपिल
Bengali: সুবাবূল Subabul, ইপিল ইপিল
Tamil: இபில்-இபில்
Telugu: సుబాబుల్
Malayalam: സുബാബുൽ, Leucaena leucocephala
Marathi: सुबाभूळ
Gujarati: સુબાવળ

Subabul in India

This fast-growing tree, known as सफ़ैद बबूल Safed babool (Hindi), இபில்-இபில் (Tamil), సుబాబుల్ (Telugu), സുബാബുൽ (Malayalam), सुबाभूळ (Marathi), সুবাবূল Subabul (Bengali), is widely planted for fodder and forestry. Leucaena leucocephala is grown across Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Gujarat, tolerant of poor soils and repeated cutting.

Uses

Its leaves are cut as fodder for livestock, and the fast-growing wood is used for fuel and small-scale construction; it is also planted to quickly restore vegetation on degraded land. It can spread aggressively in some regions, so usefulness and weed risk should both be considered.

How to Identify Subabul

Identify subabul by finely divided bipinnate leaves, small round white powder-puff flower heads, and clusters of long flat papery pods. It is often confused with babool/acacia relatives because all have divided leaves and pods; subabul usually has unarmed stems, white globose heads, and many flat pods in loose clusters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Subaul called in different Indian languages?: सफ़ैद बबूल Safed babool (Hindi); இபில்-இபில் (Tamil); సుబాబుల్ (Telugu); സുബാബുൽ (Malayalam); सुबाभूळ (Marathi); সুবাবূল Subabul (Bengali); સુબાવળ (Gujarati).
Why is subabul used as fodder?: Its leaves are high in protein and regrow quickly after cutting, making it a popular fast-growing fodder tree for livestock in many parts of India.
Is subabul considered invasive?: In some regions, yes — its fast growth and prolific seeding have allowed it to spread aggressively outside cultivation in parts of the world, so it's sometimes managed carefully despite its usefulness.
How is subabul different from babool?: Subabul usually lacks the obvious paired thorns of many babool/acacia trees, has soft fern-like bipinnate leaves, white powder-puff flower heads, and many flat brown pods.

Botanical family

Mimosaceae

Mimosa/Acacia family

Subabul belongs to the Mimosaceae family.

The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.

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Common plant problems

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More in Mimosaceae

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Sources: GBIF — Leucaena leucocephala (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Leucaena leucocephala (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)