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| ## strand tangantangan {#strand-tangantangan .Title-Header}           |
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| *Schleinitzia fosbergii* Nevi & Niezgoda                              |
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| Plant Symbol = SCFO2                                                  |
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Contributed by: CSIRO Forestry & Forest Products and USDA NRCS Pacific
Basin Office

### ![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.620833333333333in" height="1.9631944444444445in"}

**Alternate Names**

Strand leucaena; *Leucaena insularum* (Guill.) Daniker var. *guamensis*
Fosberg & Stone is a synonym for *S. fosbergii*. *Schleinitzia* plants
differ from *Leucaena* in their indehiscent (non-splitting) pods,
anthers with glands and albuminous seeds (cf. little albumen in
*Leucaena*) (Nevling and Niezgoda 1978).

##### Uses

The wood is reportedly used as fuel on Guam (Limtiaco and Guzman 1999),
but other larger and more woody species from the same habitat would
generally be used in preference to this species.

The leaves are reportedly used as fodder on Guam (Limtiaco and Guzman
1999), but possibly this record arises due to confusion with *Leucaena
leucocephala*. Its suitability as a fodder needs to be clarified.

The species has some environmental importance in the protection of
fragile seaside ecosystems, including nitrogen inputs to infertile sandy
soils. It may have some potential application in Pacific atoll
environments for addition of nitrogen and carbon to taro production
systems, especially where organic matter has been lost due to drought.

##### Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status (e.g. threatened or endangered
species, state noxious status, and wetland indicator values).

##### Description

*General: Pea Family (Fabaceae). Schleinitzia fosbergii* is a
nitrogen-fixing large shrub with a restricted distribution in strandline
habitats in the Western Pacific. *Schleinitzia* is a genus of three
species in the family *Fabaceae*, subfamily *Mimosoideae*, and tribe
*Mimoseae* or *Adenanthereae*. The three species are found in the
Pacific basin (including New Guinea, Melanesia, Micronesia and
Polynesia). They resemble and have sometimes been placed in the
widespread genera *Leucaena*, *Piptadenia* and *Prosopis*, but differ in
their pollen grains, which are arranged in tetrahedral tetrads (Nevling
and Niezgoda 1978). The genus *Schleinitzia* was originally established
by Warburg (1891), and has been recently re-established by Verdcourt
(1977). The specific epithet honors the Pacific botanist, Dr F.R.
Fosberg. Botanical descriptions have been provided in Nevling and
Niezgoda (1978) and Stone (1970) (as *Leucaena* *insularum* var.
*guamensis*), and the following information is principally derived from
these sources.

It is typically a spreading, brittle, large shrub up to 2 m tall, and
only very rarely attaining the status of a small bushy tree to 4-6 m
tall. The branches are glabrescent or glabrous.

It has bipinnate leaves, typically with 4-6 pairs of pinnae, each with
20-25 pairs of glabrous leaflets, each leaflet 5-10 mm long x 2-3 mm
wide. The leaf rachis bears 1 (-2) cup-shaped glands between the pinnae
of the lower-most pair and between all or the upper 2-3 pairs of pinnae.
Stipules are erect, recurved or reflexed and 1-2.5 mm long.

The inflorescences are globular, white, and consist of numerous tiny
flowers. Individual flowers may be bi-sexual or male (staminate). Each
flower has about five petals and ten filaments, and is subtended by a
short peltate bract, 2-2.5 mm long.

One to five fruits are set per flower-head and these are borne on a
stout peduncle. Fruits are dark brown to black, hard/tough, indehiscent
pods, with a narrowly winged edge, and covered with a conspicuous
network of veins. Each pod is 7.5-11 cm long x c. 1.5 cm wide and holds
8 to 12 (-14) seeds.

Flowering and fruiting times are unknown. There is no published
information on variation in *S. fosbergii*. However, there is likely to
be limited genetic variation given its narrow natural distribution. This
would be especially the case if the species has evolved relatively
recently, and is derived from *S. insularum* following long range
dispersal by people in ancient times as has been suggested by Nevling
and Niezgoda (1978).

*Distribution*: *S. fosbergii* is restricted to south-eastern Guam and
adjacent islands, including the Cocos Islands, in the southern part of
the Marianas chain in the northern Pacific. On Guam, it is an uncommon
species on the south-central east coast from Yona to Ipan Talofofo.

It is most closely related to the widespread *S. insularum* and probably
evolved from this species. It is distinguished from *S. insularum* by
its:

-   Fewer number of pinnae pairs per bi-pinnate leaf (4-5 cf. 7-16
    pairs), and

-   Glabrous leaflets, which are also fewer in number (20-25 cf. 25-35).

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site, http://plants.usda.gov.

*Habitat*: The species is found in maritime, tropical climates. The
annual rainfall is typically 2000-2500 mm (range 1800-2700mm). The
wettest period is from July-October, with more than half of the annual
rainfall occurring in these four months. The period from January-May is
drier and fires are frequent in the dry season. Tropical cyclones or
typhoons occur in most years. Temperatures show limited seasonal and
diurnal variation. The mean maximum temperature for the hottest month is
29-31^o^C, mean minimum temperature for the coolest month is 22-25^o^C
and mean annual temperature 26-27^o^C. The entire distribution is
frost-free.

The species is an uncommon component of strand vegetation, including
cliff shores. Associated tree and shrub species include *Argusia
argentia*, *Cocos nucifera*, *Pemphis acidula, Scaevola sericea* and
*Sophora tomentosa.* Associated herbaceous species include *Ipomoea
pescaprae*, *Lepturus repens* and *Paspalum distichum*. The species
occupies a narrow band just above the high tide boundary, may have been
displaced from upper strandline niches, including near-seashore
secondary forests and thickets, by the introduced, related species
*Leucaena leucocephala*.

*S. fosbergii* has a preference for well-drained alkaline sands. The
recorded substrates include coastal limestone and coral sand (Limtiaco
and Guzman 1999). The soils may contain moderately high levels of salts,
but due to their good aeration, combined with periodic flushing of
salts, the salinity hazard is only moderate.

##### Adaptation

This species is well-adapted to harsh coastal sites that are subject to
strong salt spray. Accordingly, it may have some environmental
importance in beach stabilization, including nitrogen inputs to
infertile sandy soils.

##### Management

Propagate from seed that has been pre-treated to overcome
hard-seededness. Seed germinates readily and rapidly, taking about 5-7
days. The recommended pre-treatment is boiling water, pour and soak:
this involves adding seed to just-boiled water, stirring for 60 seconds
and leaving stand for five minutes. Manual nicking or clipping, followed
by soaking in tap water for 12 hours, is an effective pre-treatment for
smaller quantities of seed.

In nurseries in Guam, seedlings have been damaged by insects
infestations near to the stem junction with the soil. Due to the
difficulties in raising contained seedling stock the species is unknown
in cultivation. It is expected to grow at a moderate rate in strandline
habitats similar to those in which it naturally occurs.

##### Environmental Concerns

The greatest threat to this species in Guam is the invasion and
replacement by non-native species, including *Leucaena leucocephala*, in
those portions of the strand habitat outside of the influence of salt
spray and wave action during severe weather events. Stands may also be
destroyed by typhoons.

### Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

##### Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of Agriculture."

##### 

##### References

Limtiaco D. & L.C. Guzman. 1999. *State of Forest and Tree Genetic
Resources in the Pacific Islands, and Sub-Regional Action Plan for their
Conservation and Sustainable Use*. Guam Country Report to the Pacific
Sub-Regional Workshop on Forest and Tree Genetic Resources 12-16 April,
1999. Forestry & Soil Resources Division, Department of Agriculture,
Government of Guam.

Nevling LI, Niezgoda, Ch.J, 1978. On the genus *Schleinitzia*
(Leguminosae-Mimosoideae). *Adansonia* 18 (3): 345-363.

*Stone, B. 1970. The Flora of Guam, Micronesica, Vol. 6. University of
Guam.*

Verdcourt B, 1977. New taxa of Leguminosae from New Guinea. *Kew
Bulletin* 32: 225-251.

USDA NRCS 2004. The PLANTS database \<plants.usda.gov\>. National Plant
Data Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Accessed 13apr04.

Warburg O, 1891. Beiträge zur Kenntnis der Papuanischen Flora. *Bot.
Jahrb*. 13: 230-455.

##### Prepared By: 

*Lex Thomson*, CSIRO Forestry & Forest Products Canberra, ACT, Australia

*John Lawrence*, USDA NRCS Pacific Basin Office Mongmong, Guam

##### Species Coordinator: 

*John Lawrence*, USDA NRCS Pacific Basin Office Mongmong, Guam

Edited: 28apr03; 13oct04 jsp, 21oct04 rln; 060817 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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