Introduced to Hawaii in 1864 and to the Marquesas Islands prior to 1893. It is now common in the lowlands of many Pacific islands often forming monotypic stands. In India it is thought to be a weed with tremendous natural regeneration. Patterns of invasion and time-lag L. leucocephala invades cleared areas and forms dense thickets. In the Marquesas Islands the tree is spreading into native disturbed forest.
Plant growth is very variable.
In poor conditions it is vulnerable to weed competition and wildlife. In India the tree spread into fallows within a few years of planting although no regeneration was recorded beyond a distance of 40 m. The species was reported to be abundant soon after its introduction to Hawai'i. During the 1980s crown dieback observed in many parts of Hawai'i it appears that trees with an understorey of shallow rooted naturalised succulents suffered from less dieback and were more vigorous than with a grassy understorey. The differing water requirements between the succulents and the grasses may explain these observations.