Albizia seed

LATIN NAME: ALBIZIA JULIBRISSIN

COMMON NAME: Albizia, Silk Tree, Mimosa Tree

The albizia is one of the most graceful and fast-growing of the flowering trees of the warm regions, and its feathery, mimosa-like leaves and its fluffy, pink flowers have made it a favourite of the gardens and the streets across the warm and the temperate world. It grows as a fast-growing, deciduous tree of the pea family, reaching up to ten metres or more, with a wide, spreading, umbrella-shaped crown of the graceful branches bearing alternate, pinnate, feathery, bright-green leaves with the many tiny leaflets which fold up at night and in the rain, and, in the high summer, many fluffy, pink, powder-puff flowers with the long stamens which give them their soft, silky appearance, followed by the flat, brown seed pods. It is a species of the flowering tree, native to the warm regions of the southwestern and the eastern Asia, while it has been cultivated widely across the warm and the temperate regions, and it is known as the albizia, the silk tree or the mimosa tree.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The albizia has a real and distinguished place in research. It has been studied in the horticulture and the urban forestry, since the albizia is one of the most popular of the fast-growing flowering trees for the warm garden and the street, and the researchers have examined its cultivation, its growth and its value in the landscape, while the fluffy, pink flowers and the feathery leaves have drawn attention in the international horticultural press. The plant has also been studied in the chemistry and the natural-products science, since the albizia contains a range of compounds in its bark and its flowers, and the researchers have examined the plant, its constituents and its composition, while the study of the leguminous trees and their chemistry has been of continuing interest, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a tree of the garden rather than a casual remedy. The species has also been studied in botany, since it is a member of the pea family and a relative of the acacias and the other leguminous trees, and its relationships and its distribution have been examined, while the feathery, night-folding leaves and the fluffy, pink flowers of the albizia have been of interest to the botanists and the gardeners. For a tree of such grace, the albizia has a rich and distinguished record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Albizia from seed, ecologically, the albizia is a generous tree of the warm gardens and the streets. Its fluffy, pink flowers feed the bees and the hummingbirds of the high summer, and its wide, spreading crown gives a light shade and a shelter to the small creatures, while its nitrogen-fixing roots enrich the soil of the garden and the street. Its economic value is real: the albizia is prized as a fast-growing, flowering tree for the warm garden and the street planting, and its value has drawn attention in the international horticultural press, while the flowers and the bark have a long history in the traditional materials of the East, and the tree is a fine addition to the garden and the park. To raise the albizia, sow the seeds in pots of moist, open compost in a warm, bright place, keep them gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.

sow the seeds in pots of moist, open compost in a warm, bright place, keep the young albizia gently watered, and grow the little trees on in the sun.

Mimosa Silk Tree, Albizia julibrissin, Northern, Seeds   Hardy, Adaptable, Fast Growth, Easy to Grow, Showy Fragrant Flowering Tree, Bonsai, Attracts Hummingbirds, Bees and Butterflies, Wildlife Food/Shelter, Heat Tolerant   Native to Asia (Iran to Japan), Mimosa or Silk Tree is a fast growing, small to medium sized deciduous tree that typically grows in a vase shape to 20 to 40 feet tall with a spreading, flattened, often umbrella-like crown. It is noted for its bipinnate compound dark green leaves (to 20” long) which have a delicate, lacy, fern like appearance, (Sensitive leaflets close up when touched and at night). Silky, pink puffy pompom blooms, two inches in diameter, appear in abundance from late June to September creating a spectacular sight for a long summer bloom. Flowers are fragrant and are very attractive to Butterflies, Bees and Hummingbirds. Flowers give way to flat bean like seed pods to 7 inches long, which persist into winter. Leaflets fall to the ground after frost, producing no fall color.