Gamal 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 and shedding leaves in the dry season.
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.
Trees are planted as living fences or shade for cocoa, coffee, tea, vanilla and pepper. Good roots for accumulating nitrogen, an erosion control and weed killer. The flowers are good bee food. The leaves contain a lot of protein and easily digested by ruminants.
TAXON
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Robinieae
Genus: Gliricidia Kunth in W.G.Walpers, Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 679 (1842)
Species: Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth in W.G.Walpers, Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 679 (1842)
HOMOTYPIC SYNONYMS
Lonchocarpus sepium (Jacq.) DC. in Prodr. 2: 260 (1825)
Robinia sepium Jacq. in Enum. Syst. Pl.: 28 (1760)
HETEROTYPIC SYNONYMS
Gliricidia lambii Fernald in Bot. Gaz. 20: 533 (1895)
Gliricidia maculata var. multijuga Micheli in Bot. Gaz. 20: 284 (1895)
Lonchocarpus roseus (Mill.) DC. (1825)
Millettia luzonensis A.Gray in U.S. Expl. Exped., Phan. 1: 456 (1854)
Robinia rosea Mill. in Gard. Dict., ed. 8.: n.° 4 (1768)
Robinia variegata Schltdl. in Linnaea 12: 301 (1838)
PUBLICATIONS
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Balick, M.J., Nee, M.H. & Atha, D.E. (2000). Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Belize with Common Names an Uses: 1-246. New York Botanic Garden Press, New York.
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Boggan, J. Funck, V. & Kelloff, C. (1997). Checklist of the Plants of the Guianas (Guyana, Surinam, Franch Guiana) ed. 2: 1-238. University of Guyana, Georgetown.
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Forzza, R.C., Zappi, D. & Souza, V.C. (2016-continuously updated). Flora do Brasil 2020 em construção
Fosberg, F.R. & Sachet, M.-H. (1987). Flora of the Gilbert Island, Kiribati, Checklist. Atoll Research Bulletin 295: 1-33.
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Girmansyah, D. & al. (eds.) (2013). Flora of Bali an annotated checklist: 1-158. Herbarium Bogorensis, Indonesia.
Gonzalez, F., Nelson Diaz, J. & Lowry, P. (1995). Flora Illustrada de San Andrés y Providencia: 1-281. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Colombia.
Gosline, G., Bidault, E., van der Burgt, X., Cahen, D., Challen, G., Condé, N., Couch, C., Couvreur, T.L.P., Dagallier, L.M.J., Darbyshire, I., Dawson, S., Doré, T.S., Goyder, D., Grall, A., Haba, P., Haba, P., Harris, D., Hind, D.J.N., Jongkind, & al. (2023). A Taxonomically-verified and Vouchered Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Republic of Guinea. Nature, scientific data 10, Article number: 327: [1]-[12].
Govaerts, R. (2003). World Checklist of Seed Plants Database in ACCESS Genera starting with letter G: 1-40325.
Hammel, B.E., Grayum, M.H., Herrera & C. & Zamora, N. (eds.) (2010). Manual de plantas de Costa Rica volumen V. Dicotiledóneas (Clusiaceae-Gunneraceae). Monographs in Systematic Botany from the Missouri Botanical Garden 119: 1-970. Missouri Botanical Garden.
Hokche, O., Berry, P.E. & Huber, O. (eds.) (2008). Nuevo Catálogo de la Flora Vascular de Venezuela: 1-859. Fundación Instituto Botánico de Venezuela.
Idárraga-Piedrahita, A., Ortiz, R.D.C., Callejas Posada, R. & Merello, M. (eds.) (2011). Flora de Antioquia: Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares 2: 1-939. Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín.
Isely, D. (1998). Native and Naturalized Leguminosae (Fabaceae) of the United States: 1-1007. Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
Jørgensen, P.M. & León-Yánes, S. (eds.) (1999). Catalogue of the Vascular Plants of Ecuador: 1-1181. Missouri Botanical Garden Press, St. Louis.
Kumar, S. & Sane, P.V. (2003). Legumes of South Asia. A Checklist: 1-536. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lepschi, B. & Monro, A. (Project Coordinators) (2014). Australian Plant Census (APC) Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria.
Lock, J.M. & Ford, C.S. (2004). Legumes of Malesia a Check-List: 1-295. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-List: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
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Nelson Sutherland, C.H. (2008). Catálogo de las plantes vasculares de Honduras. Espermatofitas: 1-1576. SERNA/Guaymuras, Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Niembro Rocas, A., Vázquez Torres, M. & Sáchez Sáchez, O. (2010). Árboles de Veracruz 100 especies para la reforstación estratégica: 1-253. Gombierno del Estado de Veracruz, México.
Pandey, R.P. & Dilwakar, P.G. (2008). An integrated check-list flora of Andaman and Nicobar islands, India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 32: 403-500.
Plunkett, G.M., Ranker, T.A., Sam, C. & Balick, M.J. (2022). Towards a checklist of the vascular flora of Vanuatu. Candollea 77: 105-118.
Standley, P.C. & Steyermark, J.A. (1946). Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana Botany New Series 24(5): 1-502. Field Museum of Natural History.
Thiombiano, A., Schmidt, M., Dressler, S., Ouédraogo, A., Hahn, K. & Zizka, G. (2012). Catalogue des plantes vasculaires du Burkina Faso. Boissiera 65: 1-391.
Villaseñor, J.L. (2016). Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad 87: 559-902.
Zhu, X.Y., Zhang, R.P. & He, Y.L. (eds.) (2021). An inventory of legume species diversity of Myanmar: 1-297. China Minzu university press.
VERNACULAR NAME
Bengali: সারাঙ্গা Saranga
Bolivia: Cuchi verde
Chinese (simplified): 变叶珊瑚花 - 南洋樱 - 毒鼠豆
Chinese (traditional): 南洋櫻
Colombia: Matarratón, Mata ratón
Costa Rica: Madero negro, Maderu negru, Balo, Bulë́gli
Creole (French): Gliséridya
Cuba: Mata ratón, Matarratón
Dominican Republic: Piñón de Cuba
El Salvador: Palo de hierro
English: Fence Post Tree, Quickstick, Gamal, Madre de cacao, Mother of cocoa, Gliricidia
Filipino: Kakawate, Balok-balok, Apatot, Kukuwatit, Madriado, Cacauate
Finnish: Rusotuonenpuu
French: Gliricidia
Ghana: Gliricidia, Mother of cocoa
Guatemala: Mata ratón, Matarratón, Cacaguanance, Cacahuananche
Hindi: गिरिपुष्पा Giripushpa
Honduras: Mata raton
Indonesian: Gamal
Jamaica: Aaron's rod
Java: Gamal, Sliridia, Liriksidia, Sirida
Kannada: Gobbarada mara, Gobbrada gida
Kolokial: Kerside, Gliriside
Lithuanian: Tamsusis ūkmedis
Malayalam: Seema konna, Cheema konna
Malaysia: Bunga jepun
Marathi: Giripushpa
Martinique: Gliséridya
Nicaragua: St. Vincent plum, Madero Negro, Maderu negru
Nigeria: Agunmaniye
Otomí: Muiti
Palau: Rechesengel
Panama: Balo, palu de bala
Portuguese: Mãe-do-cacau, Madre de cacao
Puerto Rico: Prendedor, Mata ratón
Rejang: Kiyea res, Kayu res
Russian: Глирицидия заборная
Slovak: Agátovec plotný
Spanish: Matarratón, Cacahuananche, Piñón, Cocuite, Madero negro, Balo, Cuchi verde, Madre de cacao, Madricacao, Mata ratón, Madriado, Madriago
Sunda: Cebreng
Tamil: சீமை அகத்தி - விவசாய தகரை Seemai agathi, Vivasaaya thagarai
Telugu: Madri
Thai: แคฝรั่ง
Tulu: ಈಟ್ದ ಮರ
Vietnam: Anh dào gía, Sát thu, Hông mai
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