Uses for Bipinnately Compound Leaves

Soil Nutrients and Moisture

• Shade produced by the bipinnately compound leaves of the saman, monkey pod or rain tree offers protection to livestock from the tropical sun. These leaves are nutritious, but are not used exclusively as fodder for any domestic species. The monkey pod produces shade and nitrogen-rich leaf-litter, both of which contribute toward the nutritional value of the grass growing beneath these trees. The grass beneath these trees is green throughout the dry-season, while exposed grass dries out and is not palatable. The compound leaves of the monkey pod fold inward during the hours of darkness, thereby increasing the amount of moisture that reaches the understory.

Shade

• The extremely fast growing Indonesia albizia tree is common in tropical areas such as Sri Lanka and Hawaii. The locals value these trees for the shade their bipinnately compound leaves provide and they are planted for this reason in banana, coffee and tea plantations. The Indonesia albizia typically spreads from these plantations and creates shady areas for ground vegetation and grasses wherever it grows.

Spice and Food

• The gandhelu grows in the outer Himalayas and in evergreen forests of peninsular India. The bipinnately compound leaves of this spreading shrub are used as a spice when preparing various dishes. These leaves are commonly used in curries and impart a characteristic flavor to these dishes. The gandhelu is also considered to be highly attractive because of its compound leaves and is therefore used as an ornamental hedge or shrub.

  The acacia species that possess bipinnate compound leaves occur throughout the tropics and their leaves are an important source of fodder for domestic animals.

Medicine

• Although the white baneberry is toxic, Native Americans and early settlers to American shores made use of the bipinnately compound leaves as medicine. They would brew the leaves from this tree into a tea, which was subsequently taken to heal ailments including bronchial problems, sore throats and headaches.

  Leaves from the Illinois bundleflower, which is a member of the mimosa family, are still used as an herbal treatment, a wash, to relieve a patient from itching.