Lebbeck Tree

ALBIZIA LEBBECK

Common Name: Lebbeck Tree

Chinese Name: 大葉合歡

Family: Fabaceae (Mimosoideae) 含羞草科

Scientific Name: Albizia lebbeck

Plant Type: Angiosperms (dicotyledons)

Flowering Period: May-Sep (Spring - Summer)

Fruiting Period: Oct-May

Nativity to China/HK: Exotic

Height: 10-20 m

Fact:

• The Lebbeck Tree has a round, spreading canopy consisting of pale grey barks with longitudinal cracks.

• The Lebbeck Tree's leaves are bipiinate compund leaves with 2 - 5 pairs of pinnae, each divided into 3 - 10 pairs of pinnules. Each individual small leaf is about 2 - 4 cm long, with elliptical blades and are symmetrical at the base.

• The Lebbeck Tree grows inflorescences of small, creamy or greenish-yellow flowers, borne in heads (about 6 cm in diameter) on the leaf axils, or crowded in short, compressed racemes at the ends of branches, each having numerous long stamens.

• Its fruits are flat, linear pods (about 20 - 30 cm long), each containing a single row of about 4 - 10 seeds. The fruits contain massie quantities of seeds, with seedlings appearing in great numbers.

• Lebbeck Trees are fast growing and can tolerate soils that are saline or alkaline, but they are vulnerable to forsit and waterlogged soils.

• Medicines made from the tree abrk have a colling effect and can be used to treat urinary disorders.

• The tree also provides shading and beautifies the neighbourhood.