Doon Siris (Albizia procera) pod at Jayanti, Duars, West Bengal W Picture 215

''Albizia'' is a genus of more than 160 species of mostly fast-growing

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

and tropical trees and

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

s in the subfamily

Mimosoideae The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals ...

of the family Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, America and Australia, but mostly in the

Old World The "Old World" is a term for Afro-Eurasia that originated in Europe , after Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas. It is used to contrast the continents of Africa, Europe, and Asia, which were previously thought of by the ...

tropics. In some locations, some species are considered weeds. They are commonly called silk plants, silk trees, or sirises. The obsolete spelling of the generic name – with double 'z' – is still common, so the plants may be called albizzias. The generic name honors the Italian nobleman Filippo degli Albizzi, who introduced '' Albizia julibrissin'' to Europe in the mid-18th century. Some species are commonly called mimosa, which more accurately refers to plants of genus '' Mimosa''. Species from southeast Asia used for timber are sometime termed East Indian walnut.

Description

They are usually small trees or shrubs with a short lifespan, though the famous ''Samán del Guère'' near Maracay in Venezuela is a huge '' Albizia saman'' specimen several hundred years old. The

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

are pinnately or bipinnately compound. The small flowers are in bundles, with stamens much longer than the petals. The stamens are usually showy, although in some species such as ''Albizia canescens, A. canescens'' the flowers are inconspicuous. Unlike those of ''Mimosa'', ''Albizia'' flowers have many more than 10 stamens. ''Albizia'' can also be told apart from another large related genus, ''Acacia'', by its stamens, which are joined at the bases instead of separate.

Taxonomy

Numerous species placed in ''Albizia'' by early authors were eventually moved to other genera, most notably ''Archidendron''. Other genera of Ingeae (''Abarema'', ''Archidendropsis'', ''Blanchetiodendron'', ''Calliandra'', ''Cathormion'', ''Enterolobium'', ''Havardia'', ''Hesperalbizia'', ''Hydrochorea'', ''Pararchidendron'', ''Paraserianthes'', ''Pseudosamanea'' and ''Serianthes'') have also received their share of former ''Albizia'' species, as have the Mimoseae ''Newtonia (plant), Newtonia'' and ''Schleinitzia''. Some presumed "silk trees" are in fact misidentified members of the not very closely related genus ''Erythrophleum'' from the Caesalpinioideae and ''Lebeckia'' from the Faboideae. The delimitation of ''Falcataria'' and ''Pithecellobium'', close relatives of ''Albizia'', is notoriously complex, with species having been moved between the genera time and again, and this will likely continue. These include ''Falcataria moluccana'' (the Moluccan albizia, formerly named ''Albizia moluccana''), a common shade tree on tea plantations. Other closely related genera like ''Chloroleucon'' and ''Samanea'' are often merged with ''Albizia'' entirely.

Uses

Albizias are important forage, timber, and medicinal plants, and many are cultivated as ornamental plant, ornamentals for their attractive flowers – notably '' Albizia julibrissin''. Some species are used as food plants by the Caterpillar, larvae of moths in the genus ''Endoclita'', including ''Endoclita damor, E. damor'', ''Endoclita malabaricus, E. malabaricus'', and ''Endoclita sericeus, E. sericeus''.

Invasiveness

Molucca albizia (''Falcataria moluccana'' (synonyms: ''Adenanthera falcataria, Albizia falcataria, Paraserianthes falcataria'')) is considered an invasive species in Hawaii and on many other Pacific Islands. The tree grows very rapidly and can quickly colonize disturbed areas in wet environments. It tends to shed large branches, damaging power lines, houses, and other infrastructure in Hawaii.

Footnotes

External links