Albizia odoratissima (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Albizia odoratissima (L.f.) Benth.

Family: Leguminosae - Mimosoideae

Synonyms

• Mimosa odoratissima L.f.,
• Acacia odoratissima (L.f.) Willd.

Vernacular names

• Black siris, fragrant albizia (En)
• Laos: du:x, du:x salen, kh'a:ng h'ung (Vientiane), len (Louang Prabang)
• Thailand: kang khi mot, ma kham pa (northern), khang-daeng (central)
• Vietnam: sóng rậ thơm, xúa (Vinh Phu).

Distribution

From India to Vietnam, including southern China, excluding Peninsular Malaysia. Its presence in Malesia is doubtful. It has been introduced into East Africa and is occasionally cultivated.

Uses

Planted for erosion control, for soil conservation and as shade tree in coffee and tea plantations. Branches are lopped for fodder. Timber is used for indoor construction, furniture and decoration work. The tree produces an insoluble gum.

Observations

• Tree with dark green, drooping foliage, spreading crown and short trunk, up to 40 m tall. Bark yellowish-grey.
• Leaves bipinnately compound; rachis 7-20 cm long, bearing one lower gland 1-2 cm above the base, and one upper gland between the 2 distal pairs of pinnae; pinnae 3-5 pairs, 7-14 cm long; per pinna 10-16 pairs of oblong to obovate leaflets, 1.1-3.5 cm × 0.6-1.2 cm.
• Inflorescence a head, clustered into hairy terminal panicles 8-20 cm long.
• Flowers 10-15 per head, dimorphic.
• Pod 16-22 cm × 3.5 cm, flat, leathery, brown, dehiscent, up to 14-seeded.
• Seed ovoid, 9 mm × 6 mm × 1.5 mm.

A. odoratissima occurs in dry deciduous forest and evergreen hill forest, up to 1000(-1600) m altitude. The mean minimum temperature of the coldest month in its natural range is about 22 °C, the mean maximum temperature of the hottest month about 33 °C; absolute maxima may reach 49 °C. Seedlings and young trees are frost-sensitive. Trees coppice well.

Selected sources

• Flore du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêt-nam [Flora of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam] (various editors), 1960-. Volume 1-. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Laboratoire de Phanérogamie, Paris, France.
• Gupta, R.K., 1993. Multipurpose trees for agroforestry and wasteland utilization. Oxford & IBH Publishing Co., New Delhi, India. 562 pp.
• Nielsen, I., 1985. The Malesian species of Acacia and Albizia (Leguminosae - Mimosoideae). Opera Botanica 81: 1-50.149, 149.Smitinand, T., Larsen, K. & Hanssen, B. (Editors), 1970-. Flora of Thailand. Volume 2-. Danida, TISTR Press, Bangkok, Thailand.
• von Carlowitz, P.G., Wolf, G.V. & Kemperman, R.E.M., 1991. Multipurpose tree and shrub database - An information and decision-support system. International Council for Research in Agroforestry/Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit, Nairobi, Kenya.
• Wealth of India (various editors), 1948-1976. A dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products: raw materials. 11 volumes. Publications and Information Directorate, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, India. 4441 pp.

Authors

• M.S.M. Sosef & L.J.G. van der Maesen