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Albizia lebbeck
Fabaceae FAMILY

Albizia lebbeck

Albizia lebbeck

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

The wood dust is aromatic and peppery. It may cause irritation to the nose and throat of sawmill workers[1, 2]. The bark is used as a fish poison[3]. A red dye obtained from the bark has caused skin irritation[3]. The pods contain saponin and are not eaten in large amounts by sheep, although cattle eat them readily[4].

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

Although siris will grow in the humid tropics, its natural range is in semi-arid to sub-humid areas of the tropics and subtropics that have marked dry and reliable wet seasons[5, 4]. However, it may be established under conditions of low (400 mm/year) and irregular rainfall[5]. Plants can succeed at elevations from sea level to 1,800 metres in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 36°c, but can tolerate 12 - 48°c[6, 7]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,500mm[6, 7]. Seedlings will not tolerate frost, but trees are moderately frost resistant when established[7]. Prefers a well-drained, moisture-retentive soil and a position in full sun[8]. Plants are able to succeed in most soil types, including saline but excluding cracking clay, so long as they are well drained[9]. Tolerant of degraded or nutritionally poor soils[9]. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 8.5[7]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[9]. Seedlings will not tolerate waterlogging[5]. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds[6]. Widely cultivated, the tree has become established in the wild in various areas outside its native range and is considered to be invasive in some of these areas[10]. A fast-growing species, it can reach a height of 18 metres within 10 years from seed[7]. When grown as a fuel crop on a coppice rotation of 10 - 15 years, it can produce about 5 cubic metres per hectare[7]. Optimum annual wood production is 15 - 20 cubic metres per hectare[7]. Plants have brittle limbs that can break off in high winds[9]. They also have a shallow, though wide-spreading root system that does not support them well in windy positions[9]. The dried seedpods hanging on the tree constantly rattle in the wind[11]. Reserves in the root system enable young plants to survive total defoliation from fire or grazing, but with an obvious setback in growth[5]. The tree coppices well, responds to pollarding, pruning and lopping, and will produce root suckers if the roots are exposed[6] The trees are killed by even light fires[6]. 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[8]. The tree is not Rhizobium specific, and native strains are nearly always capable of producing an abundance of nodules[6].

Propagation

Seed. The species is not particularly hard-seeded and requires only mild treatment (e.g. in water at 50 °c for 3 minutes) to germinate successfully[6]. Be careful, though, since some seeds are quite thin-skinned and can be damaged if the water is too hot[12]. A proportion of the seeds germinate immediately without any treatment[6]. Plants can be direct-sown, container grown, or raised in a massed seed-bed and planted out as bare-rooted stems[6]. There is nothing published on preferred rhizobial strains but it appears to nodulate readily without inoculation[6]. Cuttings. Air layering. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-19. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Albizia+lebbeck>

Pollinators

Bees, Insects

References

  1. [1]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.
  2. [2]The Leguminosae; A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation — Allen O.N.; Allen E.K. · University of Wisconsin · 1981 · ISBN 0-333-32221-5 ↩︎An amazing and comprehensive work, giving a brief guide to the many genera of the family Fabaceae and also the principle uses of the genus.
  3. [3]A Field Guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand — Gardener S.; Sidisunthorn P.; Anusarnsunthorn V. · Kobfai Publishing Project; Bangkok. · 2000 · ISBN 974-7799-01-4 ↩︎An excellent, concise guide to 430 species, plus notes on another 450 species. Excellent photographs and a separate section on distribution and plant uses.
  4. [4]Digital Compendium of Forestry Species of Cambodia — www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com; Phnom Penh · 2008 · http://www.digitalspecies.blogspot.com ↩︎A very detailed booklet, produced in PDF format on the internet, giving information on around 100 species of trees.
  5. [5]Plant Resources of Southeast Asia — http://proseanet.org/ ↩︎Lots of information on the uses of the plants of SE Asia.
  6. [6]World Agroforesty Centre — http://www.worldagroforestry.org/ ↩︎An excellent online database of a huge range of trees giving very good information on each plant - its uses, ecology, identity, propagation, pests etc.
  7. [7]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  8. [8]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  9. [9]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  10. [10]Pacific Island Ecosystems at Risk — http://www.hear.org/pier/scientificnames/index.html ↩︎A very good website detailing weed species that have been introduced into the Pacific Islands.
  11. [11]Dominica Botanic Gardens — http://www.da-academy.org/trees_shrubs.html ↩︎An on-line resource, providing top quality pictures and some basic information on various plants being grown at the Botanic Gardens, often including uses and habitat.
  12. [12]Seed Leaflets — Various · Forest & Landscape. Denmark · http://en.sl.life.ku.dk/Publikationer/Udgivelser/PopulaerPublikationer.aspx?katid={D28373CC-6EF3-4EF8-B097-6D83FABF209E}&serieid={9F1C3DB1-6E7B-4CF1-AF53-F480B0CB40EF}&sort=title ↩︎A series of leaflets, jointly produced by the University of Copenhagen and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, focussing on seed information for a number species, but also giving a lot of other information about each plant.
  13. [13]Trees Commonly Cultivated in SE Asia — Jensen. M. · FAO Regional Office, Bangkok. · 1999 · ISBN 974-89377-5-5 ↩︎
  14. [14]Medicinal Plants of Brazil — Mors W.B.; Rizzini C.T.; Pereira N.A. · Reference Publications; Michigan. · 2000 · ISBN 0-917256-42-5 ↩︎An extremely concise book, listing approximately 1,500 species and varieties of plants with their botanical name, common name in Brazil, regions in Brazil where the plant is found, a brief list of uses and any medically active compounds in the plant.
  15. [15]Antihyperglycemic, Hypoglycemic and Cytotoxic Activity of Albizia lebbek and Trigonella corniculata — Khan J. et al · 2014 · http://www.rjptonline.org · ISBN 0974-3618 ↩︎
  16. [16]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.