Subabul / Subaul
Leucaena leucocephala
Also known as Lead Tree, Leucaena, Shite Lead Tree (Mal.)
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu & more
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
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
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 a high-protein fodder for livestock, and the fast-growing wood is used for fuel and small-scale construction; it's also planted to quickly restore vegetation on degraded land.
How to Identify Subabul
A shrub or small tree with finely divided, fern-like bipinnate leaves. Small, round, powder-puff white flower heads are followed by clusters of long, flat, papery pods that turn from green to brown.
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.
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
All plant problem & care guides →More in Mimosaceae
View all Mimosaceae →Sources: GBIF — Leucaena leucocephala (India distribution & vernacular names) (CC BY 4.0) · Wikipedia — Leucaena leucocephala (background/comprehension only) (CC BY-SA 4.0)