Great Leadtree
Tree Stories: Great leadtree
A reader asked about a unique local tree when she saw its stunning photograph in the June Coast magazine feature on coastal habitat. To answer her we’ll take a short trip across the causeway to consider an icon that anyone who has traveled into Galveston has seen and perhaps pondered with curiosity. It stands out in the salt marshes on the west side of IH45, between Bayou Vista and Tiki Island. The caption on the striking photo in Coast calls it a great leadtree, “the largest known of its kind in Texas”.
Photo by Galveston County Daily News
Thumbnail photo by Texas AgriLife Extension Service
It is indeed a great leadtree, officially known as Leucaena pulverulenta. This native of Mexico is commonly known there as Tepeguaje. Here it may be known as Mexican leadtree or Great Leucaena. It is a member of the pea family (Fabaceae). The generic name is derived from the Greek word leukos, meaning "white," named for its white flowers.
Unfortunately it is not the largest in Texas, but it is a close second. Its status as such is remarkable because it is out of its natural range in Mexico and south. It grows on rich moist soils in extreme south Texas but due to cold sensitivity is not reliably hardy north of there. Our tree was nominated for state champion status in 2009 when Forest Service employees working here with Ike recovery noticed it. For two years it was indeed the largest known in the state until a larger one was identified down south in McAllen in Hidalgo County. That tree in the Valley is now both the state and also national champion of its kind.
Great leadtree’s lacy leaves are fernlike and resemble those of the familiar Mimosa. Blooms appear in spring and summer with dense balls of white sweet-scented flowers that look like tiny sputniks and are a favorite with pollinators. The heartwood is a rich, dark brown and is hard and heavy, giving the name to leadtree. The wood is used for lumber, fuel, livestock fodder and occasionally as an ornamental. It is grown as a shade tree in coffee plantations.
So what determines a champion tree? The Texas Forest Service uses three measurements and a point system that considers height, canopy spread, and circumference. Points are awarded for each measurement and the tree with the greatest number of points becomes the champion.
Galveston is home of two state champion trees, the JapaneseYew at Grace Episcopal Church and the Norfolk Pine in the 3600 block of Sealy. As are all our Norfolks, that champion is suffering from January’s freeze but the Yew is growing beautifully. UPDATE. We lost our Norfolk Island Pine to that freeze and it has been removed. You can review all champion trees at the Texas Big Tree Registry (http://texasforestinfo.tamu.edu/BigTreeRegistry/).
The great leadtree is not something you are likely to have in your home landscape. But be sure to take a look next time you are heading toward the Island. If you want to visit the tree you must access the frontage road via Highway 6. It’s a lovely spot for a visit and a view of the marshes.
“Tree Stories” is an ongoing series of articles about Island trees, tree care, and tree issues. If you have or know of a special tree on Galveston Island that should be highlighted, please email treesforgalveston@gmail.com. Margaret Canavan is a Galveston resident, a Galveston County Master Gardener, and a member of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy Board.
Hurricane Ike caused the loss of 40,000 trees on Galveston Island. The Galveston Island Tree Conservancy was formed to address that loss and has replaced over 17,000 through grant-funded plantings and giveaways.