Botanical description
A deciduous tree growing to a height of 5 to 12 metres. Bark is dark greenish grey in colour and striped vertically as it gets older. Bipinnate leaves 20-45 cm long and 12-25 cm broad, divided into 6-12 pairs of pinnae, each with 20-30 pairs of leaflets; the leaflets are oblong, 1-1.5 cm long and 2-4 mm broad. Fruits are flat brown pods 10-20 cm long and 2-2.5 cm broad, containing several seeds.Uses
Edible uses
Flowers
Cooked as a Vegetable
Material uses
Wood - dense, hard, strong, takes a good polish. Used for furniture, industrial applications, firewood etc[11][12][13].
Wood
Medicinal uses(Warning!)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine the bark of Albizia julibrissin is known as hé hu?n pí and the flowers as hé hu?n hu?. Hé hu?n can be translated as "Collective Happiness". The plant is considered to be sweet and neutral. Both bark and flowers are traditionally used in China to treat insomnia, irritability, anxiety, emotional tension, and pain and swelling due to trauma.[9]
A gummy extract obtained from the plant is used as a plaster for abscesses, boils etc and also as a retentive in fractures and sprains[10].
Flowers
Dried as a Carminative, digestive, sedative, tonic
Bark
Dried as an anodyne, anthelmintic, carminative, discutient, diuretic, oxytocic, sedative, stimulant, tonic, vermifuge, vulnerary
Ecology
Ecosystem niche/layer
Ecological Functions
Nitrogen fixer
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[14].
Forage
Nothing listed.
Shelter
Nothing listed.
Propagation
Seed - pre-soak 24 hours in hot water and sow March/April in a greenhouse or sow as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[15]. Germinates in 2 - 3 months at 19°c. Scarification helps[16]. There are about 11,000 seeds to a pound, about 25 - 33% of which germinate[17]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors[K]. Root cuttings, late winter in a greenhouse[15][14]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[14]. Suckers planted out in late winter[14].
Seed
Seed - pre-soak 24 hours in hot water and sow March/April in a greenhouse or sow as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[15]. Germinates in 2 - 3 months at 19°c. Scarification helps[16]. There are about 11,000 seeds to a pound, about 25 - 33% of which germinate[17]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots of fairly rich soil when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant out in late spring or early summer and consider giving them some protection from the cold for their first winter or two outdoors[K]. Root cuttings, late winter in a greenhouse[15][14].
Cultivation
Requires a well-drained moisture retentive soil and a very sunny position[14]. Succeeds in dry soils. Highly fertile soils can promote soft sappy growth which is frost tender[14]. Trees tolerate a high pH, saline soils, high winds and drought[14][8]. They also succeed in poor soils[8]. Trees prefer a more continental climate than Britain[18] and when dormant are hardy to about -20°c in such a zone[14]. They are only hardy to about -10°c in the maritime climate of this country[14]. The young growth in spring, even on mature plants, is frost-tender and so it is best to grow the plants in a position sheltered from the early morning sun[K]. They succeed on a sunny wall at Kew[18], and also in a more open but sunny sheltered position there[K], but only really succeed outdoors in the mildest areas of Britain[19]. If killed back to the ground by a severe winter, plants can often resprout from the base[14]. The form 'Rosea' is hardier and more compact, succeeding even in the drier parts of Britain if given some protection[18]. Plants are quite tolerant of pruning and can be fan-trained for growing on a wall. Any pruning is best done in late winter or early spring[20]. Often grown as a summer bedding plant[19]. Quite tolerant of being transplanted[14]. Plants often produce suckers[14]. Plants can be coppiced.[9]
Crops
Problems, pests & diseases
Associations & Interactions
There are no interactions listed for Albizia julibrissin. Do you know of an interaction that should be listed here? edit this page to add it.
Polycultures & Guilds
There are no polycultures listed which include Albizia julibrissin.
Descendants
Cultivars
Varieties
None listed.
Subspecies
None listed.
Full Data
This table shows all the data stored for this plant.
- Salinity
- Drought
References
- ? 1.01.11.2 Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 (32202/01/01)
- ? Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books ISBN 3874292169 (32202/01/01)
- ? Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications ISBN 0-486-20459-6 (32202/01/01)
- ? Coon. N. The Dictionary of Useful Plants. Rodale Press ISBN 0-87857-090-x (32202/01/01)
- ? 5.05.1 Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre ()
- ? Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre (32202/01/01)
- ? 7.07.1 Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles (32202/01/01)
- ? 8.08.18.28.38.48.58.6 Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. ISBN 0-7513-020-31 (32202/01/01)
- ? 9.09.19.29.39.49.59.6 Schafer, Peg. The Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A cultivator's guide to small-scale organic herb production Chelsea Green ISBN 978-1-60358-330-5 (2011/01/01)
- ? 10.010.110.2 Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. ISBN 0-917256-20-4 (32202/01/01)
- ? Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation (32202/01/01)
- ? Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press (32202/01/01)
- ? Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. ISBN 0-88192-527-6 (32202/01/01)
- ? 14.0014.0114.0214.0314.0414.0514.0614.0714.0814.0914.1014.1114.12 Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press ISBN 0-333-47494-5 (32202/01/01)
- ? 15.015.115.215.3 Dirr. M. A. and Heuser. M. W. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press ISBN 0942375009 (32202/01/01)
- ? 16.016.1 Rice. G. (Editor) Growing from Seed. Volume 1. Thompson and Morgan. (32202/01/01)
- ? 17.017.1 Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. ISBN 0292780206 (32202/01/01)
- ? 18.018.118.2 Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray (32202/01/01)
- ? 19.019.1 F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press (32202/01/01)
- ? Davis. B. Climbers and Wall Shrubs. Viking. ISBN 0-670-82929-3 (32202/01/01)
- ? Pardini, E.A. Eleanor A. & Hamrick, J. L. [Hierarchical patterns of paternity within crowns of Albizia julibrissin (Fabaceae)] American Journal of Botany (2013/05/06)
- ? [Albizia julibrissin] Wikipedia (2013/05/06)
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