Leucaena leucocephala (aka Mimosa, Haole koa) progress

Here are some pictures of a tree that I harvested from the wild today ( 3/8 ) on the Big Island of Hawaii.
I had a few questions about directions to take this tree.

- What species of tree is this? (leaves / flowers shown in second picture)
- What do you estimate the age of this tree?
- How much sunlight does this tree need?
- What specific branche would you reccomend be removed?
- Any additional tips or comments would also be greatly appreciated.

Mahalo,
Fasil

Hello Fasil – your tree looks like Indigofera suffruticosa, Upright Indigo, to me, but we have several members from Hawaii that will likely have a more certain identification.   If I am correct in the identification, this is a plant which was introduced to Hawaii from tropical America and has become a weed in some areas.

I have not grown this species, so I can give little horticultural advice, but I suspect it will be vigorous and forgiving.

Keep us posted on your progress,
David B.

After a few months of unchecked vigorous growth. I just brought some of the larger branches down to create a more proportionate canopy. The tree is now starting to take quite a nice shape.

Any suggestions?

Mahalo,
Fasil

i would just let it run for a bit, considering it is newly potted, it could use some more recoup time still...
and then too you'll be able to determine better what direction to take...

and being harvested about 20 yards from the ocean, it might need some salty spritz now and then.

btw - do you surf ?

It looks like Mimosa. Has it flowered yet? If so describe the flowers.

Looks like Haole koa, Leucaena leucocephala, which IS a Mimosa. Its an imported weed to Hawaii.

There is an endemic koa tree, also, which is in the Acacia family, but this isn't it.

JimLewis wrote:Looks like Haole koa, Leucaena leucocephala, which IS a Mimosa.  Its an imported weed to Hawaii.  

There is an endemic koa tree, also, which is in the Acacia family, but this isn't it.  

Very well could be. Wait for the white puff-ball seed pods to be sure.

Should i bring the height down? Virtuals would be appreciated.

Mahalo,
Fasil

There seem to be a bit of confusion with this species..

Fasil already gave us a picture of the flower....  and its neither a mimosa or powder puff or an Acacia.  

Look at the flower....  definately Indigofera suffruticosa, as David Brunner said.   

Indigofera is very very fast and respond very quickly...I only know Indigorea fruticosa which grows here by riverbanks and roadside.... It doesnt live very long at all, and it would be very interesting to see how long it can lasts as a bonsai....


Love and light

I missed the blurrey flower. Recent cataract surgery doesn't help.  

Turns out Jim Lewis was correct is suppositing "Haole koa, Leucaena leucocephala, which IS a Mimosa"

I responded to a craigslist posting for a bonsai sale yesterday and came across a nice assortment of Mimosas harvested from all over the island. Some potted, others as pre bonsai stock.

a nice composition

Another view:




A small jin attempt by the previous owner:




I didn't buy this massive dwarf schleffera but may be heading back for it if I can convince the wife. (pot 17.5' wide)


Also here is a virt of my original tree with some height reduced. thoughts?


Mahalo for looking,
Fasil

Good you made it over to Shermans. I see a seed pod forming on the top branch. Soon it will be white and puffy.

Fasil

Are you trying to make us look like idiots.

Why did you remove the Indigofera flower form your photos?

Did you post the wrong picture.

The least you could have done, is to be honest, and say... Sorry guys posted the wrong flower picture, made a huge mistake......  

But no, you just leave it, edit your post and make me and David out as stupido!

     

Here we are 4 months later,

Starting to pick out which branches I'd like to develop. Any suggestions moving forward?

Virtuals appreciated.

Mahalo,
Fasil

Yes Kevin, I saw that post. Not sure why you insist on posting it again here. Please move on.

Now that I got that out of the way. Here is the latest shot after repotting to a shallower round pot and exposing some nebari.
Coming along nicely

fbizuneh wrote:Yes Kevin, I saw that post. Not sure why you insist on posting it again here.

i was just wondering the same thing that andre was... (still am, but no big deal)

but i do have a topical question:

being a haole myself, i wonder why it is called a haole koa ???
is it the white, mainlander version of the an actual koa tree ?

believe it or not, i'm being serious when i ask why it is called that...

Hi Kevin. Try this:http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/forestry/trees/CommonTreesHI/CFT_Leucaena_leucocephala.pdf

thanks bruce !
i guess i wasnt too far off

It is an interesting tree. I used it to rebuild the soil around my place on the eastern sea coast. Now I have them by the hundreds and the cut down and come again plants have some quality about them.

Fbizuneh,

if you are still with us, do the leaves drop monthly, as they do on our side?
Later.
Khaimraj

Haole is often misinterpreted as meaning caucasian. It actually just means foriegner. The Mimosa is sometimes called haole koa because it is an imported species (a.k.a foreign species) that bares some similar traits to the endemic Hawaiian Koa tree.

I'm at the upper limits of where haole koa can grow but here's one that's been limping along for 10 years or so. Soon the green seed pod will burst into a white fuzzy ball.

Bruce,

I have been working on densifying the foliage with branchlets.
There is a timing to go through.
Anyhow this is what it looked like a year or so ago on IBC.

*The ability to heal is amazing, and the leaves are rated the same as manure, so I am testing what happens when they are fed back with their leaves.
Thank you for showing.
Later.
Khaimraj

Khaimraj ,

Yours is obviously so much happier down in the heat where it belongs. Mine will lose a branchlet or branch at the drop of a hat. It's a care-giver infirm patient relationship as much as anything else.

Cheers

Bruce

Bruce Winter wrote:I'm at the upper limits of where haole koa can grow but here's one that's been limping along for 10 years or so. Soon the green seed pod will burst into a white fuzzy ball.

And here it is.

Khaimraj,

To answer your question, all leaves did drop from the stress of repotting along with heavy December wind & rain here on The Big Island. But as an earlier poster stated, these plants are quite resiliant. As you can see below it is already budding all over the place -


(taken 12/29/14) (for scale, pot = 8" diameter, height = 17.5")