Taxon: Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth.

Summary

Genus:

Lysiloma

Family:

Fabaceae (alt. Leguminosae)

Subfamily:

Caesalpinioideae

Tribe:

Ingeae

Nomen number:

23008

Place of publication:

Trans. Linn. Soc. London 30:534. 1875 "latisiliqua"

Verified:

07/24/2001 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

2 (1 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Mimosa latisiliqua L.

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia latisiliqua (L.) Willd.
Acacia latisiliqua (L.) Willd. var. latisiliqua
Leucaena latisiliqua (L.) Gillis

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Acacia bahamensis (Benth.) Griseb.
Lysiloma bahamense Benth.

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
Barreto Valdéz, A. & G. P. Yakovlev. 1987. Estudio taxonómico del género Lysiloma (Mimosaceae) en Cuba. Acta Bot. Cub. 41:4.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Isely, D. 1970. Legumes of the United States. V. Albizia, Lysiloma, Leucaena, Adenanthera, and rejected genera of Mimosoideae. Castanea 35:250. Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Isely, D. 1973. Leguminosae of the United States: I. Subfamily Mimosoideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25(1):97. Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Long, R. W. & O. Lakela. 1971. A flora of tropical Florida. Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Rico, L. & T. Pennington. 2012. Review of Fabaceae Neotropical Mimosoideae data for World Economic Plants, ed. 2. pers. comm.
Thompson, R. L. 1980. A revision of the genus Lysiloma (Leguminosae). Unpublished dissertation (Southern Illinois University).
1961. Webster's third new international dictionary. Note: = Lysiloma bahamense

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	tsalam		1	Rico, L. & T. Pennington. 2012. Review of Fabaceae Neotropical Mimosoideae data for World Economic Plants, ed. 2. pers. comm.
English	wild tamarind	as Lysiloma bahamense	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary. Note: = Lysiloma bahamense
Spanish (Cuba)	adormido blanco		2	Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).
Spanish (Dominican Republic)	candelón		2	Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & M. T. Strong. Flora of the West Indies (on-line resource).

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida	s.	Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas	e.	Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas			Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Haiti		n.	Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Turks and Caicos Islands			Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize			Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala		n.	Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
2	Cultivated					also cult.

Native
Northern America

SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Florida (s.)]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas (e.), Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Bahamas, Cuba, Haiti (n.), Turks and Caicos Islands
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Guatemala (n.)

Cultivated (also cult.)

Reference(s)

Barneby, R. C. & J. W. Grimes. 1996. Silk tree, guanacaste, monkey's earring: a generic system for the synandrous Mimosaceae of the Americas. Part I. Abarema, Albizia, and allies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 74(1):260.
Correll, D. S. & H. B. Correll. 1982. Flora of the Bahama archipelago.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Environmental	ornamental	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Environmental	ornamental	Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening Note: lists as "latisiliqua"
Materials	tannin/dyestuff	Rico, L. & T. Pennington. 2012. Review of Fabaceae Neotropical Mimosoideae data for World Economic Plants, ed. 2. pers. comm.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=23008. Accessed 12 May 2026.