White leadtree

The white leadtree, also known as the jumbay, river tamarind, *subabul, or white popinac, comes from Central America originally, but now grows worldwide thanks to ancient human cultivation.

It provides high-protein food for humans and other animals, but it contains a toxic amino acid. Many ruminants have developed adaptations to this, but some animals who eat it lose their hair. Humans eat the young pods.

Like other legumes, it fixes nitrogen in the soil, and the amount of biomass it produces can also help enrish soil as green manure.

Healers extract oil from its seeds to help treat yellow fever.

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