Albizia lebbeck

Albizia lebbeck is a medium to large-sized, unarmed and deciduous tree. It has usually a short and straight bole and a spreading crown.

The bark of Albizia lebbeck is rough, brown-coloured with dark and irregular flakes.

The leaves of Albizia lebbeck grow alternately on the stem (spirally arranged).
The leaf is compound, bi-paripinnate.
The leaflets are bright green-coloured above and paler beneath. The leaf is chartaceous and glabrous on both sides (some minute hairs on the midrib beneath).
The leaflets have a 2 mm long petiolule.
The leaflets of Albizia lebbeck are 4-5 cm long and 2-2.5 cm wide. The shape of the blade is oblong, the apex is obtuse, the base is oblique and the margins are entire.
The venation of the leaflets is reticulate with a prominent midrib.

The flowers of Albizia lebbeck are grouped in globose heads (at the upper axils of the new branchlets). The peduncle is 7 cm.
The calyx-tube is urn-shaped, 6.5 mm long and 2.5-3 mm across. The calyx is 5-toothed, light green to yellowish-coloured and finely pubescent.
The corolla-tube is 8-9 mm long and 2-3 mm across. There are 5 corolla lobes. The lobes are triangular, 2 mm long and wide. The corolla is cream-greenish-coloured and glabrous or finely pubescent at the margins.
The androecium is composed of numerous and filiform stamens. The filaments are 4 cm long with tiny and globose anthers. The androecium is green and whitish-coloured.
The style is filiform and 4-4.5 cm long style with a minute and simple stigma.
The flowers are fragrant.

The fruit of Albizia lebbeck is a flat pod up to 30 cm long (3-4 cm wide).
The fruit is light straw-coloured when ripe, the apex and the base are usually rounded.
Each pod contains up to 10-12 seeds.

The seeds of Albizia lebbeck are flat and elliptic. They are 7-9 mm long and 7 mm wide, compressed in the middle. The seeds are light brown-coloured.

Albizia lebbeck is useful for the control of erosion. It is used as a nitrogen fixing tree and as soil improver (green manure).

The leaves of Albizia lebbeck are a very good fodder (17-26% crude protein, 100 kg of leaves yield 11-12 kg of digestible protein, and 37 kg of digestible carbohydrates).
The tree is grown in some areas primarily as fodder for camels, water buffalo and cattle.

Source : Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R , Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009 Agroforestree Database : a tree reference and selection guide

The wood of Albizia lebbeck is durable and strong. It is used for high class furniture, panelling, parquet and stip flooring. It is used for house building, agricultural implements, boat buildings, toys, carving and turnery.

The bark is used for tanning and dyeing.
The dried and pounded bark is used in soap making.

The trunk yields a reddish gum that is used as an adulterant of gum arabic.

Source : Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R , Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009 Agroforestree Database : a tree reference and selection guide ; Dastur, 2006, Useful Plants of India and Pakistan