Quickstick (Gliricidia sepium)

Gamal or gliricidia or fence post tree or quickstick (Gliricidia sepium) is a shrub species in Fabaceae, many branches, 2-15 m high, stem diameter 15-30 cm, grayish brown to whiteish leaves, shedding leaves in the dry season and sometimes grooved on old stems.

G. sepium has odd pinnate compound leaves, 15-30 cm long and when young has fine hairs. A number of leaflets of 7-17 pairs sit face to face, lanceolate, 3-6x1.5-3 cm, pointed tip and rounded base. Bare, thin, green on the top and white on the bottom.

The flower group in panicles contains 25-50 florets and 5-12 cm long. The flower has 5 petals, bright green with a white-purple crown and 10 white stems. Flowers come at the end of the dry season when the trees are not leafy.

Pods have 3-8 seeds, flat elongated, 10-15x1.5-2 cm, green yellow and finally blackish brown, breaking down when ripe and dry. When it's time the pods erupt and throw the seeds as far as 25 m from the tree.

Quickstick has flowers, so some people plant it as an exotic plant. Flowers are often seen all over the tree where the leaves are very few after falling. Trees are planted as living fences or shade for cocoa, coffee, tea, vanilla and pepper.

Gamal has good roots for accumulating nitrogen. This plant also functions as an erosion control and weed killer. The flowers are good bee food. The leaves contain a lot of protein and are easily digested by ruminants. Leaves and twigs as green fertilizer to fertilize the soil.

Fence post tree is a good source of firewood, burning slowly, less smoke and calorific value of 4900 kcal/kg. Terrace wood is durable and resistant to termites with BJ 0.5-0.8. This wood is good for making household furniture, building construction and others.

Leaves, seeds and bark contain poisons but not ruminants. Plant extract is used as a remedy for various skin diseases, rheumatism, headaches, coughs, eye infections and certain injuries. The herb is also used as a natural pesticide and rodenticide.

The original habitat is tropical deciduous forest, 0-1600 m elevation, valleys and slopes, often in logged and shrub areas. Grows on various ecosystems in sand soils up to alluvial deposits on the shores of the lake at 600-3500 mm/year rainfall.

Gliricidia is propagated vegetatively and generatively. Fresh seeds are spread directly without special treatment. Cuttings use stems 1-2.5 m long and 6-10 cm in diameter, the bottom pieces are fried to stimulate the roots. Short cuttings are planted one third in the soil, while long cuttings are planted as deep as 50 cm to be strong.

Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Gliricidia
Species: G. sepium

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