Albizialebbeck

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Scientificname
Albizialebbeck(L.)Benth.

Synonyms
Acacialebbeck(L.)Willd.
Acacialebbek(L.)Willd.
AcaciamacrophyllaBunge
Acaciaspeciosa(Jacq.)Willd.
AlbizialatifoliaB.Boivin
Albizialebbeck(L.)Benth.var.leucoxylonHassk.
Albizialebbeck(L.)Benth.var.pubescensHaines
Albizialebbeck(L.)Benth.var.rostrataHaines
Albizialebbeksensuauct.
Feuilleealebbeck(L.)Kuntze
IngaborbonicaHassk.
IngaleucoxylonHassk.
MimosalebbeckL.
MimosalebbekL.
MimosasirissaRoxb.
MimosaspeciosaJacq.
PithecellobiumsplitgerberianumMiq.

Family/tribe
Family:Fabaceae(alt.Leguminosae)subfamily:Mimosoideaetribe:Ingeae.Also
placedin:Mimosaceae

Commonnames
Africa(Swahili):mkingu,mkungu
Arabic:daqnelBasha,dignelbasha,labakh,laebach,lebbek
Brazil:banooriental,coraodenegro,lnguademulher,lnguadesogra
Burma:kokko
Cambodia:chreh
Carolines:schepilkalaskas
CookIslands:'arapitia
English: East Indian walnut, frywood, Indian siris, koko, lebbek, lebbeck,
lebbektree, rain tree, raom tree, rattlepod, siris tree, sorostree, Tibet tree,
woman'stonguetree,
Ethiopia:lebbek
Fiji:vaivainivavalagi
French:boisnoir,boissavane,ebnierd'Orient,tchatcha(Creole)

German:lebachbaum,Andamanenkokko
Hawaii:whitemonkeypod
India: bage, begemara, bengha, beymada, bhandir, diriina, chinchola, darshana,
diengsalvrin, dirasan, dirasanam, dirisana, doddabagi, gachoda, garso,
goddahunse, harreri, hirih, kalbaghi, kalshish, karuvagei, katu vagai, katvaghe,
kinhi,kokko,kona,kothiakoroi,lasrin,mathirsi,moroi,munipriva,nenmenivaka,
salaunjal, samkesar sirisha, sarin, sarshio, seleyadamara sirsul, shrin, shirson,
shirish,sirai,sirar,siras,sirin,siris,sirish,sirisah,tantia,tinia,vaga,vagai,vagei,
vaka,vakai,vellavaka,velvgai,voghe
Indonesia:tekik,kitoke,tarisi
Italian:albiziaindiana
Lao:ka`s(SinoTibetan),maithone
LatinAmerica:banooriental,lenguademujer
LesserAntilles:vieillefille,shackshack
Madagascar:bonara,bwarnwarfanyfauxmendoravina
Malaysia:batai,bataibatu,kungkur,oriang
Marianas Islands: kalaskas, mamis, trongkon kalaskas, trongkonmames,
tronkonmames
Mexico:canjuro
Nepal:kalosiris
Panama:mataraton
Philippines:aninapala,langil
Seychelles:boirnoirboisnoir
SouthAfrica:lebbekboom
Spanish: acacia chach, algarroba de olor, amor plantnico, Aroma, aroma
fracesca, cabellos de ngel, faurestina, florestina, lengua de mujer, lengua
viperina
SriLanka:kona,vageri,mara,vakaisiridam,suriyamara
Thailand: chamchuri, kampu, ka se, khago, cha kham, chamchuri, kampu,
phruek,suek
Venezuela:acaciabailedecaballero
Vietnam:bktty,limxanh,trt
Yap:gumorningabchey,ngumormingobchey

Morphologicaldescription
Deciduoustree, growing to 30 m tall in native forests. In open situations, trees
develop a spreading, sometimes multistemmed habit, to 25 m tall and 30 m
across, with low branching. Can develop root suckers, and produces dense
coppicing from cut stumps. Bark rough, grey, somewhat flaky inner bark
reddish. Stems terete, punctate, green, puberulous or pubescent when young,
rapidly becoming grey brown with time. Leaves bipinnate with (1 ) 2 4 ( 5)
pairsofpinnaealongarachis89cmlong.Pinnaecompriserachilla510cm
long, bearing 3 11 pairs of asymmetric (midrib closer to the abaxial margin),
oblong to ellipticoblong leaflets 1.5 6.5 cm long and 0.5 3.5 cm wide,
nyctinasticwhenyoung,fixedinolderleaves.Inflorescenceaterminaloraxillary
(often 2 or more per axil), 5 9 cm diameter semiglobular cluster of 15 40
flowerspeduncles510cmlong.Flowers,fragrant,withpedicels1.54.5(7)
mmlongcalyxpuberulous,3.55mmlongcorolla511mmlong,terminatingin

5 triangular lobes pubescent at the apex filaments numerous, 1.5 3 cm long,

fusedatthebase,predominantlywhitetocreamincolour,tippedwithpalegreen,
andbecomingdarkyellowwithage.Podsflat,glabrous,coriaceous,indehiscent,
1235cmlong,and36cmwide,undulatingalongthesutures,lightyellowish
brown when mature, containing 3 12 seeds. Seeds brown in colour, flattened
ellipsoidal,711mmx69mmx11.5mm(5,000)7,00011,000(16,000)
perkg.

Distribution
Nativeto:
Pakistan,India,Bangladesh,theAndamanIslands,Burma,SChina,NEThailand,
and Malaysia possibly also Sri Lanka, the eastern islands of Indonesia, Africa
andNAustralia.
Naturalisedin:
Manycountriesofthetropicsandsubtropics.
Foundindeciduousandsemideciduousmonsoonforests,andrainforestsinits
nativehabitat,andinavarietyofsituationsinthehumidandsemiaridtropicsand
subtropics.

Uses/applications
A nitrogenfixing tree, with value for shade, quality hardwood (cabinet, veneer,
construction),fuelwoodandcharcoal,andhoney(sourceofnectarandpollen)
proposedasanalternativeforagetoLeucaenaleucocephala in more acid soils,
particularlywiththeadventoftheleucaenapsyllid(Heteropsyllacubana),butto
datehasnotbeenadoptedcommerciallytoanyextent.Theextensive,shallow
root system makes it a good soil binder and suited to soil conservation and
erosion control. Various parts of the tree are used in folk remedies for many
ailments.Itisalsousedasanornamentalandavenuetree,andsometimesasa
shadetreeincoffeeandtea.Thebarkcontainssaponinsandtannins,usedfor
makingsoapandintanning,respectively.

Ecology
Soilrequirements
Occurs naturally on soils overlying basalt, and among sandstone boulders and
basalt outcrops on breakaway or scree slopes. It is also found in riparian
situations,andonstabilizeddunesorlowlateriticledgesabovethebeach.While
itpreferswelldrainedsoilsofmoderatetohighfertility,itwillgrowonlessfertile
soils,butisnotadaptedtoheavyclayorwaterloggedsoils.Itisadaptedovera
widerangeofpHfromacidtoalkaline,andalsotoleratesmoderatesoilsalinity.

Moisture
Whileitoriginatesfromareaswithameanannualrainfallof1,3001,500mmand
averydrywinter,itgrowswellinareaswith6002,500mmrain/year.Itisvery
droughttolerant,beingfoundinareaswithrainfallaslowas300400mm/yr.

Temperature

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InitsnaturalhabitatinHimalayanvalleys,itisfoundupto1600mASL,buthas
been grown successfully as high as 2150 m (Queretaro, Mexico, 21 00' N),
wherethe24hourannualaveragetemperatureis18.7C(SD2.56),butalsonear
sea level in the tropics (Dar es Salaam, 6 48' S) where the 24hour annual
average temperature is 25.6 C (SD 1.64). Tops of young plants are killed by
frost,butplantscoppiceupfromthebasewiththeonsetofwarmconditions.In
SEQueensland,Australia,Albizialebbeck has grown well in an area (Gayndah
2537'S,160mASL)with24hourannualaveragetemperatureis20.7C(SD
4.63)andreceivingover12frostsperyear,somequitesevere(<4C).

Light
Noinformation.

Reproductivedevelopment
Flowering begins with the resumption of growth towards the end of the dry
season, continuing into the wet season. Pods mature in the early dry season,
remainingonthetreefor34monthsorwellintothefollowingfloweringseason.
Unlesstreeshavebeenfrequentlycoppiced,theycanproducelargeamountsof
seed every year. Flowering can occur on plants as young as 10 months old.
Flowersareinsectpollinated.

Defoliation
In the seasonally dry tropics, growth follows a seasonal pattern, with plants
exhibiting early dry season dormancy, becoming deciduous 2 3 months later,
remainingleaflessfor12months,andgrowthresumingtowardstheendofthe
dryseason.Inthesubtropics,leafdropoccursduringthewinter,whichlargely
coincides with the dry season. Plants reshoot with the onset of warmer
weather.Albizialebbeckisnotproductiveunderrepeatedcutting(contrastwith
leucaena), and should only be cut once or twice per year. It is therefore not
suitedtoregularbrowsing.Ifolderstemsarecutforfuelwoodandforage,plants
coppicevigorouslyinrecovery.

Fire
Older plants and trees withstand grass fires of considerable intensity. Above
groundgrowthofyoungtreesiskilledbutnewgrowthusuallyfollows.

Agronomy
Guidelinesfortheestablishmentandmanagementofsownpastures.

Establishment
Unlike many tropical legumes, A. lebbeck is not particularly hardseeded and
oftenalargeproportionofseedgerminatesrapidlywithoutanytreatment.There
arevarioussuggestionsforpretreatmentofseed.Pourboilingwateroverseeds,
about1litrewaterper250gofseedorabout5timesasmuchwaterasseed,stir
gently,pouroffafter2minutes(orasspecified),replacewithtapwaterandsoak
overnight.Alternatively,hardseedcanbescarifiedbyimmersinginboilingwater
for310secondsandthencooledrapidly,or3minutesinwaterat50C.Ifthe

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seedcoatisverythin,boilingwatermaybeharmful.Itisfairlypromiscuousinits
rhizobialrequirements,andseedinoculationisrarelynecessary.Plantscanbe
establishedbysowingdirectlyintothegroundorintocontainers,orplantingout
as barerooted specimens. Germination is epigeal. Seedlings develop a long,
stout taproot at an early age and are droughttolerant. In cooler or dryer
environments, early seedling development may be slow, and for direct sowing,
grassandweedcontrolisnecessaryforayearormoreaftersowing.Inthesub
humid subtropics of Australia, it has taken over 3 years for plants to reach
sufficient size for utilisation by cattle. However, in warmer, more humid
conditions,plantscanultimatelyreach5mtallinthefirstyear.
To reduce the field establishment period and to maintain better control of
establishment conditions, seedlings can be raised in nursery beds then
transplantedoncethetopcanbeprunedto10cmandtheroottoabout25cm.
This may take as long as 12 18 months, or much less with good conditions.
Tubedstockraisedinplasticsleevesandgrownunderidealconditionscanreach
transplanting size (20 30 cm) in 3 months. For production of bare rooted
seedlingsorstumps,seedsaresowninrowsabout15cmapartwiththeseeds
spaced at 2 3 cm within the row and about 1 cm deep. About 40 g seed is
requiredforsowing1m2ofnurserybed.Bestseedlingdevelopmentisobtained
infullsunlight

Fertiliser
A.lebbeckisnotparticularlyresponsivetoappliedphosphorus,possiblydueto
indigenousarbuscularmycorrhizalassociation,butapplicationofamixedfertiliser
mayenhanceearlygrowthonpoorersoilse.g.50gof15:15:15NPKperseedling
appliedafter1month,andfurtherapplicationsof100gafter23months,andat
the end of the rainy season. Fertiliser should be spread over a 25 cm radius
around the plant, or in holding depressions dug 20 30 cm above the plants if
establishingonslopes.

Compatibility(withotherspecies)
Grasses, particularly more shade tolerant species, grow effectively under A.
lebbeck,wherelighttransmissionisabout80%throughthecanopyofdeveloping
trees,and4050%throughthecanopyofmaturetrees.

Companionspecies
Due to the relatively slow early growth of A. lebbeck in some situations, it is
probably best not to sow companion species until the young trees are well
established. Then, associated grasses should be the more shade tolerant,
nitrogen responsive species recommended for the area. Where appropriate,
Panicum maximum cultivars should be considered. Twining legumes have a
tendencytogrowoveryoungtreesandsuppressgrowth.

Pestsanddiseases
Establishmentcanbeaffectedbyattackonyoungplantsbyrodentsandgrazing
animals. Once mature, leaves are largely unaffected by insects, but young
leavesmaybesubjecttoheavypredationbylarvaeofthegrassyellowbutterfly,
Euremahecabe(Lepidoptera,Pieridae).Thisappearstobeashortlivedeffect.

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Themostseriouspestsarebarkfeedinglarvaeoflongicornbeetles(Coleoptera,
Cerambycidae) that can cause dieback by complete girdling of 40 100 mm
diameter stems. Seed destruction by seed borers, Bruchus bilineatopygus
(Bruchidius bilineatopygus) and Bruchidius sparsemaculatus (Coleoptera,
Bruchidae),reducesthepercentagefertilityofseed.Establishingseedlingscan
beattackedbytermites,andapsyllid,Psyllahyalina(Hemiptera,Psyllidae)that
can also damage saplings. Other insects reported on A. lebbeck are sap
suckers,Ferrisiavirgata(Hemiptera,Pseudococcidae) and Oxyrachis tarandus
(Hemiptera, Membracidae), a barkeating caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata
(Lepidoptera, Metarbelidae),and leaf feeders, Glyphodes pyloalis (Lepidoptera,
Pyralidae) and Spirama retorta (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae). Termites and wood
borers also the attack timber. While insects can be a minor nuisance in most
countries,reportsofseriousdamageareoftengeneratedfromitscentreoforigin,
India.
VariousfungalleafdiseasesarereportedfromforestnurseriesinIndia,including
leafwebblightcausedbyRhizoctoniasolani,andleafspotscausedbyPericonia
byssoidesandColletotrichum capsici. In 2000, trees in Oman wilted and died,
following dieback of large branches, due to infection by the fungus, Scytalidium
dimidiatum.

Abilitytospread
Seedisretainedinthelightpodsuntiltheyfall,andthendispersedbystrongwind
andsurfaceflow.Seedcanbespreadthroughingestionbycattle,butdoesnot
passthroughsmallruminants.

Weedpotential
ItisconsideredtoposeahighweedthreatbyPacificIslandEcosystemsatRisk
(PIER) as well as by authorities in Florida and the Comoros Archipelago. In
Australia it received a weed risk assessment rating of 4, meaning "more
information needed". It is unlikely to become a serious weed where grazing
livestockarepresent.

Feedingvalue
Nutritivevalue
Greenleaves(CP1623%,NDF4135%,IVDMD4570%dependingonage)
are shortlived and deciduous, and present during a large part of the rainy
season. Leaves, flowers and pods fall to the ground gradually during the dry
seasonandcanbebrowsedontheground.Fallenleaf(CP913%,NDF49%,
IVDMD 44%) and flowers (CP 23% 57% IVDMD) are readily eaten by sheep.
Podsalsoarearichproteinsource(19%CP,NDF55%)andareavailableovera
longerperiodthanleaforflower.

Palatability/acceptability
Greenleaf,fallenleafandflowershaveallbeenshowntobehighlypalatableand
ofhighnutritivevalueforsheep,althoughobservationsuggestsA.lebbeckmay
not be as readily eaten by cattle. Young leaf tastes bitter and intake may be
limitedwhenofferedasthewholediet.

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Toxicity
Leavesarefreeoftoxinsandtannins,andlowinsolublephenoliccompounds.
Flowerscontainnoadverseconstituents.Podscontainsaponinswhichmaylimit
intakebutappeartohavenootheradverseeffect.Someclaimoftoxicityinseed.

Productionpotential
Drymatter
In a stand growing in shallow soil in a subtropical 750 mm rainfall area in
Australia,estimatesofaverageannualproductionofedibledrymattervariedfrom
1.7 t/ha/yr in stands of mature trees completely pruned back to the stem once
every three years, to 2.5 t/ha/yr in hedgerows at a row distance of 3 m and
defoliatedbycattletwiceayear.Inthemorehumid,moretropicalenvironmentof
PuertoRico,abovegroundbiomassinadensetreestandafter2yearswas17.4
t/ha, and 29.5 t/ha after 3 years, with leaves comprising 13 23% of the dry
matter. Correcting for DM % in the second example, these are probably
comparable.
In the seasonally dry tropics of Australia, edible dry matter per tree in the litter
frommaturetreesintheabsenceofcuttingorbrowsing,wasmeasuredatroughly
60kgleaves,30kgflowers,and30kgpods(seealso"Nutritivevalue").Mature
standsofA.lebbeckmaydrop5t/ha/yrofleaf.

Animalproduction
ThereislittleinformationonruminantperformancebenefitsfromA.lebbeck,other
thantoextrapolatefromnutritionalvalueandintakestudies.Themainvalueisin
providing edible material from the trees as supplement to poor quality grass,
which improves overall feed intake. Rabbits too have shown good growth
performancewhenfedA.lebbeckleafcomprising50%ofthediet.Thereisalso
furtherbenefitduetoimprovednitrogensupplytograssesgrowinginthevicinity
oftrees.

Genetics/breeding
2n = 26. Some provenance selection has been conducted showing heritable
traits.

Seedproduction
Seedisharvestedmanually.Aswithmanylegumes,thereisnoneedtowaituntil
pods are dry to harvest seed. Pods are mature when they have turned light
yellowandshouldbeharvestedwhenthelastpatchesofgreenaredisappearing.
It is important that collection is not delayed as insects can very quickly infest
maturepods.Bagscarryingimmaturepodsshouldbekeptopenduringtransport
to facilitate ventilation thus avoiding fungal growth. Pods should then be dried
untiltheyrattleandbecomebrittle(preferablyinthesun,butprotectedfromthe
ravages of seeddestroying beetles). Threshing can be difficult since pods are
indehiscent.Seedisextractedbybeatingorinaflailthresher.Afterextraction
theseedisdrieddirectlyinthesunlightandpod segments and debris removed
usingappropriatesieves,followedbywinnowing.Lessmaturepodsmayalsobe

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infestedbyinsects,sotemporarystorageshouldbeasshortaspossibleasthe
insectsdevelopduringthisphase.Loweringseedmoisturelevelsbelow10%and
dusting with malathion or pyrethroid dust reduces chances of postharvest
bruchiddamage.Oncesufficientlydried,seedshouldbestoredhermetically.

Herbicideeffects
Treesaresusceptibletotriclopyr,eitherasabasalbarkorcutstumptreatment.
Smallseedlingscanbehandpulled.

Strengths
droughttolerant
widesoilpHadaptation
salttolerant
wideclimaticadaptation
highfeedingvalue
coppicesfreely
fewdiseases
multipurpose(browse,timber,fuelwood,honey,soilconservation)

Limitations
notadaptedtoheavyclaysoils
topsofyoungplantskilledbyfrost
needsgooddrainage
seedsubjecttoinsectdamage
weedpotential

Othercomments

Selectedreferences
Hegde,N.andL.Relwani.1988.PsyllidsattackAlbizialebbeckBenth.inIndia.
NitrogenFixingTreeResearchReports6,4344.
KennedyP.M.,LowryJ.B.,CoatesD.B.andOerlemansJ.(2002)Utilisationof
tropicaldryseasongrassbyruminantsisincreasedbyfeedingfallenleafof
siris(Albizialebbeck)AnimalFeedScienceandTechnology,96,175192.
Larbi, A., Smith, J.W., Kurdi, I.O., Adekunle, I.O., Raji, A.M., Ladipo, D.O.,
(1996) Feed value of multipurpose fodder trees and shrubs in West Africa:
edible forage production and nutritive value of Millettia thonningii and Albizia
lebbeck.AgroforestrySystems,33:4150.
Lowry, J.B. (1992). Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. In 't Mannetje, L and Jones,
R.M.(eds),PlantResourcesofSouthEastAsiaNo4Forages.pp169171
(PudocScientificPublishers,Wageningen.)

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Lowry,J.B.,Lowry,B.C.andJonesR.J.(1988)Enhancedgrassgrowthbelow
acanopyofA.lebbeck.NitrogenFixingTreeResearchReports6,4546.
Lowry,J.B.,Prinsen,J.H.,Burrows,D.M.,(1994)Albizialebbeckapromising
foragetree for semiarid regions. In: Gutteridge R.C. and Shelton H.M. (eds.)
Foragetreelegumesintropicalagriculture.Wallingford,UK:CABInternational,
7583.
Mohammad Belal Uddin, Sharif Ahmed Mukul, Mohammed Abu Sayed Arfin
Khan,MohammedKamalHossain(2007)Effectsofphosphorousfertilizeron
seedlingsgrowthandnodulationcapabilitiesofsomepopularagroforestrytree
speciesofBangladesh.JournalofForestryResearch,18:283286.
Parrotta,J.A.(1988)EarlygrowthandyieldofAlbizialebbeckatacoastalsite
inPuertoRico.NitrogenFixingTreeResearchReports6,4749.
Pradhan, I.P. and Dayal, R. (1981) Farm forestry in agricultural economy.
IndianForestry,107,665667.
Prinsen, J.H. 1986. Potential of Albizia lebbeck (Mimosaceae) as a tropical
foddertreeareviewofliterature.TropicalGrasslands20,7883.
Toky,O.P.,Kumar,N.andBisht,R.P.(1996)Variationingrowthof3yearold
provenancetrialofAlbizialebbek(L.)Benth.inaridIndia.SilvaeGenetica45,
3133.

Internetlinks
AgroForestryTreeDatabase
EstablishmentofForageTreeLegumes(FAO)
GrasslandSpecies(FAO)
J.B.Lowry,J.H.PrinsenandD.M.Burrows"AlbizialebbeckaPromisingForage
TreeforSemiaridRegions"(FAO)
Jker,Dorthe(2000)SeedleafletNo7
LaoTreeSeedProject,SpeciesMonographNo6

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