Albizia julibrissin, the?Persian silk tree,?pink silk tree, or?mimosa tree, is a??of tree in the??,??to??and?.
The genus is named after the Italian nobleman Filippo degli?, who introduced it to Europe in the mid-18th century.?It is sometimes incorrectly spelled?Albizzia. The??julibrissin?is a corruption of the??word?gul-i abrisham?(?? ??????), which means "" (from?gul????"flower" +?abrisham????????"").
Albizia julibrissin?was described by?.??used the same scientific name to refer to Prain's?, the?Mimosa kalkora?of?.
Names
Albizia julibrissin?is known by a wide variety of common names, such as?Persian silk tree?and?pink siris. It is also called??acacia?or?bastard tamarind, though it is not too closely related to either genus. The species is called?Chinese silk tree,?silk tree?or?mimosa?in the United States, which is misleading—the former can refer to any species of??which is most common in any one locale; and, although once included in?, neither is it very close to the?. To add to the confusion, several species of?, notably??and?, are also known as "mimosa" (especially in?), and many??trees with highly divided leaves are called thus in?.
Its leaves slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward; thus its modern Persian name shabkhosb?(??????) means "night sleeper". This tendency also explains the Chinese common name?hehuan, which means "shut happy" and symbolizes a happy couple in bed.?In Japan its common names are?nemunoki,?nemurinoki?and?nenenoki?which all mean "sleeping tree".?Nemu tree?is a partial translation of?nemunoki.
Description
Albizia julibrissin?is a small??tree with a broad crown of level or arching branches, growing to 5–16?m (16–52?ft) tall.?Its??is dark greenish grey, becoming vertically striped with age. Its??are large and?-like: They are?, divided into 6–12 pairs of pinnae, each with 20–30 pairs of leaflets. Individual leaflets are oblong, 1–1.5 cm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) broad. The true leaves are 20–45 cm (8–18 in) long and 12–25 cm (5–10 in) broad.
The??bloom throughout the summer in dense?, which resemble starbursts of pink silky threads. The true flowers have small??and??(except the central ones), with a tight cluster of prominent?, 2–3?cm long and white or pink with a white base. They have been observed to attract?,??and?.?Its??is a flat brown??10–20?cm (4–8?in) long and 2–2.5?cm (0.8–1.0?in) broad, containing several??inside.
There are two?:
- Albizia julibrissin?var.?julibrissin?– the typical variety, described above
- Albizia julibrissin?var.?mollis?– differs in the shoots being densely hairy
Habitat, cultivation and uses
Original habitats of the tree include regions from??(Persia) and the??to??and?.
A. julibrissin?is widely planted as an??in parks and gardens, grown for its fine leaf texture, flowers and attractive horizontal canopy. Other positive attributes are a fast growth rate, low water requirements and the ability to thrive planted in full sun in hot summer climates.?It is frequently planted in semi-arid areas like California's?, central??and?. Although capable of surviving drought, growth will be stunted and the tree tends to look sickly. As such it should be given infrequent, deep waterings during the summer, which will benefit growth and flowering.
The broad crown of a mature tree makes it useful for providing dappled shade. The flower colour varies from white in?A. julibrissin?f.?alba, to rich red-tipped flowers. Variants with cream or pale yellow flowers are also reported. Other cultivars are becoming available: 'Summer Chocolate' has red foliage ageing to dark bronze, with pale pink flowers; 'Ishii Weeping' (or 'Pendula') has a drooping growth habit.
A. julibrissin?f.?rosea
There is also a?,?A. julibrissin?f.?rosea?(pink silk tree) which has, in the past, been classed either as a variety or as a?. This is a smaller tree, only growing to 5–7 metres (16–23?ft) tall, with the flowers always pink. Native to the northeast of the species' range in Korea and Northern China, it is more cold-tolerant than the typical form, surviving temperatures down to at least ?25?°C (?13?°F). The selected??A. julibrissin?'Ernest Wilson' (also known as 'E.H.Wilson' or 'Rosea') is a cold-tolerant tree with deep pink flower colour. In Japan,?A. julibrissin?f.?rosea?is often used for non-traditional?. The name?nemunoki*?(ねむの木,?:?合歓木) and its variants is a??representing the summer in?, especially a sleepy summer evening.
A. julibrissin?f.?rosea?has gained the?'s?;?likewise the cultivar 'Summer Chocolate'.
Other uses
Silk tree wood may be used to make furniture.?It is also reportedly psychoactive as well, with the flowers being used to make teas. In Chinese medicine it is considered an antidepressant.
Invasive species
In the wild, the tree tends to grow in dry plains, sandy valleys, and uplands. It has become an ?in the?, where it has spread from southern New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, west to Missouri and Illinois, and south to Florida and Texas. It is cultivated in California and Oregon.[]?Its seeds are wind-dispersed and numerous, and they are fertile even over long periods of drought. Each pod, which resembles a flattened bean pod made of paper, holds about 8 seeds on average. The pod bursts in strong winds, and the seeds can carry over surprisingly long distances.
Breeding work is currently underway in the United States to produce ornamental plants which will not set seed and can be planted without risk.[]?However, in the eastern United States it is generally a short-lived tree, being highly susceptible to mimosa vascular wilt,?a fungal disease caused by a species of?, though the disease does not seem to have seriously impacted its populations. Because of its invasive tendencies and disease susceptibility, it is rarely recommended as an ornamental plant in the United States, though it is still widely planted in parts of Europe.