Gliricidia

Gliricidia is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It belongs to the sub family Faboideae. It is a small, deciduous, ornamental tree. The tree is leafless when in flower and bears fruits during April and May in India and countries with same climate. The small flowers (barely 2 cm long) are pale pink and they are borne in dense clusters on bare twigs. Flowers fade to white or a faint purple with age. The flowers attract a lot of bees and some lycaenid butterflies—particularly the Peablue Lampides boeticus and other native birds. The species Gliricidia sepium is cultivated and used for a variety of purposes in tropical regions. The genus name Gliricidia means 'mouse killer' in reference to the traditional use of the toxic seeds and bark of Gliricidia sepium as rodenticides.