Leucaena leucocephala
white lead tree
Non-Native in Florida
White lead tree is an exotic that looks like another exotic: the mimosa tree. Whereas mimosa tree's spherical flowers are pinkish, white lead tree's spherical flowers are whitish. White lead tree is an escapee from cultivation; it is native to the West Indies.
White lead tree is occasionally found in disturbed sites and coastal strands of peninsular Florida (Wunderlin, 1998). It is also found in Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (Kartesz, 1999).
The UF/IFAS Assessment lists plants according to their invasive status in Florida. View the list here.
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to see the herbarium specimen image of the
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HERBARIUM DIGITAL IMAGING PROJECTS.