Albizia lebbeck

Albizia lebbeck is a species of plant in the family Fabaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. It is widely cultivated and naturalised in other tropical and subtropical regions, including Australia. Common names in English include siris, Indian siris, East Indian walnut, Broome raintree, lebbeck, lebbek tree, frywood, koko and woman's tongue tree. The latter name is a play on the sound the seeds make as they rattle inside the pods. Siris is also a common name of the genus Albizia.

Description

A tree. It grows 18-30 m tall. The trunk can be 1 m across. The leaves are twice divided. They are 8-15 cm long with 4 pairs of pinnae and each one has 6-18 leaflets. The flowers are white. The flowers have several long stamens 3-4 cm long and they have a sweet smell. The fruit is a pod 15-30 cm long and 3-5 cm wide. There are 6 to 12 seeds.

Edible Uses

Young shoot tips are cooked and eaten by boiling. The leaves and seeds are also edible, and the tree produces a gum.

Traditional Uses

The young leaf tips are cooked and eaten. They are boiled. They have little taste.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The leaves and seeds are used to treat eye problems such as ophthalmia. The bark is astringent and taken internally for diarrhoea, dysentery, and piles. Externally, the bark is applied to boils. The flowers are used locally to help boils mature and relieve skin eruptions. Powdered seeds are used to treat scrofula. Saponin extracted from the pods and roots has demonstrated spermicidal activity.

Known Hazards

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

Distribution

It is a tropical plant. It does not occur on atolls. It is highly salt tolerant. In Townsville Queens BG.

Where It Grows

Africa, Andamans, Asia*, Australia, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Bhutan, British Indian Ocean Terr., BIOT, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Central Africa, China, Congo DR, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Fiji, Grenada, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Himalayas, India, Indochina, Indonesia, Laos, Madagascar, Malawi, Mariana Islands, Marquesas, Micronesia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Northeastern India, Pacific, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, PNG, Sao Tome and Principe, SE Asia, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, United Arab Emirates, UAE, Vanuatu, Vietnam, West Indies, Yap,

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seed. Seed germinate best if put in hot water first. Trees can also be grown from stem or root cuttings. It should be in a sunny location. Trees can be cut back and will re-grow.

Propagation

Seed is not particularly hard-coated and requires only mild treatment to germinate — soaking in water at 50°C for 3 minutes is usually sufficient. Take care with thin-skinned seeds, which can be damaged if the water is too hot. A proportion of seeds will germinate without any pre-treatment. Plants can be direct-sown, container-grown, or raised in a massed seedbed and transplanted as bare-rooted stems. No preferred rhizobial strains have been published, but the tree appears to nodulate readily without inoculation. Can also be propagated by semi-ripe cuttings or air layering.

Other Uses

Agroforestry Uses: This fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree thrives in full sun and works well as a pioneer species when establishing woodland or forest gardens, though its invasive potential outside its native range means it is best kept within that range. Its extensive, fairly shallow root system makes it an effective soil binder, recommended for eroded lands and riverbank stabilisation. The nitrogen-rich leaves are valuable as mulch and green manure. Free-standing trees transmit 40–50% light through the canopy and enhance pasture production and quality beneath them by increasing soil nitrogen. In open woodland settings, it has been repeatedly observed to improve ground cover and grass growth and quality beneath the canopy. Seedlings and cuttings serve as initial shade for coffee, cardamom, and cocoa plantations, and the tree is used to rehabilitate old cocoa farms and improved fallows intended for cocoa cultivation. Though not fully wind-firm, it tolerates salt-laden winds and can be planted in moderately exposed coastal situations and as quick-growing shelter for less hardy plants. It is a valued honey tree, producing both nectar and pollen. Other Uses: The fruits can likely yield around 10 barrels of ethanol per hectare per year. The trunk exudes a reddish gum used as an adulterant of gum arabic. A red dye is obtained from the bark, which can cause skin irritation. The bark contains 7–11% tannin and is used in India for tanning fishing nets. Dried and pounded bark can be used as soap. The heartwood is golden brown when freshly cut, deepening to a rich dark brown with black streaks, clearly demarcated from the paler sapwood. The texture is medium to coarse with deeply interlocked grain, medium lustre, and no distinctive odour or taste. The wood is moderately heavy and hard, strong, fairly durable, seasons well, and works and polishes easily. It is an excellent decorative timber compared to black walnut, suitable for turnery, carving, general construction, furniture, veneer, and agricultural implements. The tree is also highly productive as fuelwood and makes excellent charcoal. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, attracting bees and other pollinators. Seed pods provide food for wildlife, particularly birds, and the dense canopy offers shelter, nesting, and roosting sites for birds and small mammals. Rough bark, leaf litter, and fallen seed pods provide overwintering sites for beneficial invertebrates.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Notes

Also as Mimosaceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Anya-koko, Benoare, Boket tay, Boanoara, Bonara, Bonoara, Chiali, Chres, Hophoan, Kalakaskas, Kalo siris, Kokko, Lbakh, Lebbeck, Lebbek, Mai-kokko, Mtangatanga, Pruek, Tama-kai, Tarisi, Thing-chawke, Uktiuk, Zo-fek

References (23)

• Basha, S. K. M., Ethnobotanical Trees of Sri Lanka Malleswara Wildlife Sanctuary; Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh.
• Bunderson, W. T. et al, 2002, Common Agroforestry Species in Malawi. Malawi Agroforestry Extension Project, Pubication No. 46, Lilongwe. p 16
• Cabalion, P. and Morat, P., 1983, Introduction le vegetation, la flore et aux noms vernaculaires de l'ile de Pentcoste (Vanuatu), In: Journal d'agriculture traditionnelle et de botanique appliquee JATBA Vol. 30, 3-4
• Cengel, D. J. & Dany. C., (Eds), 2016, Integrating Forest Biodiversity Resource Management and Sustainable Community Livelihood Development in the Preah Vihear Protected Forest. International Tropical Timber Organization p 110
• Clarke, W.C. & Thaman, R.R., 1993, Agroforestry in the Pacific Islands: Systems for sustainability. United Nations University Press. New York.

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