Mother-of-cacao
A tropical plant. It grows best in warm, seasonally dry climates. It occurs in areas with 900-1500 mm annual rainfall. It grows between sea level and 1200 m altitude. It suits areas with a mean annual temperature of 20-27°C. It does best with light well composted soil. The soil needs to be well drained. It needs a protected sunny position. It is damaged by drought and frost. It grows with soil pH between 5.0-8.5. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In XTBG Yunnan.
Also known as:
Balo, Bien vestido, Cacaonance, Gamal, Kakawate, Kakawati, Kante, Khae-farang, Madero negro, Madre de cafe, Madre, Madreado, Madrecacao, Madrecaco, Madre de cacao, Madrial, Malthass, Mata raton, Mexican lilac, Nicaraguan cacao-shade, Nicaraguan shade tree, Pohon gamal, Quick stick, Spotted gliricidia, Thinbaw-ngusat, Tropical flowering cherry
Synonyms
- Galedupa pungam Blanco
- Gliricidia lambii Fernald
- Gliricidia maculata var. multijuga Micheli
- Gliricidia maculate (Kunth.) Walp.
- Lonchocarpus maculates (Kunth.) DC.
- Lonchocarpus roseus (Miller) DC.
- Lochocarpus sepium (Jacq.) DC.
- Millettia luzonensis A. Gray
- Millettia splendidissima snesu Naves
- Robinia hispida L.
- Robinia maculate Kunth.
- Robinia rosea Miller
- Robinia sepium Jacq.
- Robinia variegata Schltdl.
Edible Portion
- Leaves, Flowers, Vegetable, Caution
Where does Mother-of-cacao grow?
Found in: Africa, Antigua and Barbuda, Antilles, Argentina, Aruba, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, East Africa, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guam, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, Guinée, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Himalayas, Honduras, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marquesas, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Montserrat, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Pan tropical, Panama, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Reunion, Samoa, SE Asia, Seychelles, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Southern Africa, South America, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, Uruguay, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Islands, West Africa, West Indies, Zimbabwe
Notes: There are about 6 Gliricidia species. They grow in tropical America. The seeds are used as rat poison. Also as Papilionaceae.
Status: Plants are used as shade for coffee in the lowlands.
Growing Mother-of-cacao
Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. The seed needs treatment to help it to start growing. Plants are easy to grow from large cuttings or mature wood. The cuttings should be 4.7 cm long.
Edible Uses: The leaves have been reported as being eaten. They are used in a fish dish. The flowers are cooked as potherbs and also folded into an egg batter and fried. CAUTION: They are also reported as poisonous. Leaves are used to kill rats. As all parts are poisonous it is probably better not to eat any part.
Nutrition Info
per 100g edible portion| Edible Part | Energy (kcal) | Protein (g) | Iron (mg) | Vitamin A (ug) | Vitamin c (mg) | Zinc (mg) | % Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves raw | 52 | 2.4 | 0.8 | - | - | - | 84.7 |
Mother-of-cacao Photos
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