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Mimosa, Persian silk tree, silk-tree

lebbek tree, raom tree, siris tree, soros-tree, woman's tongue, woman's-tongue tree

Habit Trees to 6 m. Stems strigillose, bark light gray, smooth, with inconspicuous scattered, brownish lenticels. Trees to 10 m, crown rounded.
Stems

pilosulous to glabrescent, bark light tan, fissured in rectangular plate, with conspicuous pale lenticels on young branches.

Leaves

20–32 cm;

stipules 2 mm;

petiole 3–7.5 cm, glabrescent or puberulent;

gland proximal or sub-basal, elliptic, length to 1.5 times width;

pinnae (4 or)5–12 pairs, 5.5–10 cm, with gland between 1 or 2 distal pairs;

leaflets (13–)17–22(–36) pairs, blades not bicolored, oblong, 0.7–1.5 cm, venation palmate, midvein marginal or submarginal, base strongly asymmetric, truncate, apex acute, short-mucronate, surfaces glabrous or sparsely pubescent;

terminal pair not heteromorphic.

6–24 cm;

stipules 2–4 mm;

petiole 6–7(–9.5) cm, ribbed to channeled, sometimes pilose;

gland proximal, ± circular;

pinnae 2 or 3 pairs, 7–14 cm, with gland between distal pair;

leaflets 5–7 pairs, blades not bicolored, oblong to ovate, 2–4(–5) cm, venation palmate-pinnate, midvein subcentral, base acute, apex rounded, mucronate, surfaces usually glabrous, sometimes translucent, pilose abaxially;

terminal pair not heteromorphic.

Inflorescences

18–25-flowered, terminal or axillary, capitula;

axis densely strigillose.

30–40-flowered, (1 or)2 or 3 per node, axillary, capitula;

axis pilose;

floral bracts linear, 2 mm.

Peduncles

3–9 cm, densely strigulose;

bracts linear-lanceolate, 2(–5) mm.

7–8 cm, pilose;

bracts linear, 3 mm.

Pedicels

to 1 mm.

, except central flowers, 1.5–4.5 mm.

Flowers

calyx campanulate, (2.5–)6 mm, lobes 5 or 6, glabrescent;

corolla campanulate, (8–)12 mm, lobes 4 or 5, strigillose distally;

stamens 32, white proximally, pink distally, 30–35 mm, tube (10–)12 mm;

terminal or central flower calyx 3 mm, lobes 5, glabrous;

corolla 9–12 mm, lobes 5;

stamens 28 mm, tube long-exerted, to 18 mm.

calyx tubular, 3–6 mm, lobes 5 or 6, short-pubescent;

corolla campanulate, 4–10 mm, lobes 4 or 5, glabrous except for lobes;

stamens 30, white, 15–25 mm, tube to 4 mm;

central flowers: sessile, calyx to 5.5 mm, lobes 5, pilose;

corolla 10–11 mm, campanulate, lobes 5;

stamens 20–30, to 23 mm, tube to 10 mm.

Legumes

fuscous-ferruginous, 10–20 × 1.5–2.6 cm, margins straight or slightly constricted, base acute, apex rounded, narrowing to a beak to 1.5 cm, valves membranous, glabrescent, smooth or slightly rough.

sessile, ochre-brown, 1.2–18.6(–25) × 3.7–6 cm (including beak), margins straight to slightly constricted between seeds, base rounded, apex acute, with 10 mm beak, glabrescent, usually dehiscent along 1 suture, valves undulating, raised over seeds.

Seeds

6–8(–10), 9 × 5 mm.

4–11, 7–8(–12) × 7–9 mm.

2n

= 26, 52.

= 26.

Albizia julibrissin

Albizia lebbeck

Phenology Flowering spring–summer; fruiting summer–fall. Flowering spring–early summer; fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Disturbed roadsides, thickets, riverbanks. Disturbed thickets, roadsides.
Elevation 100–700 m. (300–2300 ft.) 0–100 m. (0–300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; sw Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies (Jamaica), South America (Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay), s Europe, s, se Asia, Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; FL; TX; Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies (Bahamas, Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles), Bermuda, Central America, South America, Africa, Pacific Islands (Fiji, Guam, Hawaii, New Zealand), Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Albizia julibrissin is commonly cultivated and is thought to be the hardiest of the Albizia species. It is especially attractive when flowering; staminal filaments are deep pink, grading to white at the base. Albizia julibrissin forma rosea (Carrière) Rehder is a dwarf, bushier plant with bright pink flowers.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Albizia lebbeck is widely cultivated as an ornamental and shade tree; it is naturalized in the subtropics and tropics and is abundant in central and southern Florida. The rattling pods are persistent during the winter while the trees are leafless (D. Isely 1998).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 11. FNA vol. 11.
Parent taxa Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (Mimosoid clade) > Albizia Fabaceae > subfam. Caesalpinioideae (Mimosoid clade) > Albizia
Sibling taxa
A. kalkora, A. lebbeck, A. procera
A. julibrissin, A. kalkora, A. procera
Synonyms Mimosa lebbeck, Acacia speciosa, M. speciosa
Name authority Durazzini: Mag. Tosc. 3(4): 13, plate [opp. p. 1]. (1772) (Linnaeus) Bentham: London J. Bot. 3: 87. (1844) — (as Albizzia)
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