Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 8 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Albizia stipulata(Roxb.) Boivin

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ying shu

English: Chinese albizia, silktree

French: albizia de Chine

Samoan: tamaligi, tamalini

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees up to 20 m tall.  Leaves with 4-14 pairs of pinnae, leaflets 20-30 pairs per pinna, asymmetrical with the midrib strongly eccentric near one of the margins, 6-10 mm long, 2-3 mm wide, apex acute, with a nectary on the rachis just below each pair of pinnae, stipules up to 1.5 cm long and 3 cm wide.  Flowers 8-12 mm long (central one larger), in heads 20-25 mm in diameter (excluding stamens), these usually in wide terminal panicles, sometimes reduced to 3-4 peduncles clustered in the leaf axils; corolla white; stamens up to 30 mm long. Pods flat, 10-17 cm long, 1.7-3.5 cm wide, indehiscent.  Seeds ellipsoid, laterally flattened, ca. 7 mm long and 4-5 in diameter, distinctly median (remote from sutures), with a small basal pleurogram ca. 1 mm in diameter"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 644).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i, "documented only from low elevation, disturbed areas" (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 644).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Tropical southeastern Asia.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Gambier Islands	Mangareva (Gambier) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Marquesas Islands	Nuku Hiva (Nukahiva) Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Voucher cited: J. Florence (legit M. Gu*#233;rin) 6586 (PAP) Cultivée
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 491055) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1982) (voucher ID: BISH 493040) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive	Herbst, Derral (1998) (p. 3) Voucher cited: Herbst 9794 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 644)
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 77) Vouchers cited: MacKee 11925, MacKee 17641
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1967) (voucher ID: BISH 664582) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands		Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (p. 246) In thickets and open forests at low and medium altitudes.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Savai‘i Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 5)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island	introduced invasive	Space, James C./Flynn, Tim (2002) (p. 5) Voucher: Flynn 6941 (PTBG, US, SAMOA)
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1972) (voucher ID: BISH 83903) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1973) (voucher ID: BISH 417726) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		Bishop Museum (Honolulu) (1974) (voucher ID: BISH 418201) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr.
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2002) (voucher ID: PTBG 307) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis
Samoa Western Samoa Islands	Upolu Island		National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.) (2000) (voucher ID: PTBG 42981) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia chinensis

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cambodia Cambodia	Cambodia (Kingdom of)	native	Hanum/I. Faridah/Van der Maesen, L.J.G, eds. (1997) (p. 63)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011) "Forests and open fields; sea level to 1000 m".
China China	Hong Kong	native	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 130)
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Singapore Singapore	Singapore (Republic of)	introduced cultivated	Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. (2009) (p. 11) Cultivated only
Thailand Thailand	Thailand (Kingdom of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Mauritius Mautitius Islands (Mauritius and Rodrigues)	Mauritius Island	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
French Territory of Mayotte Mayotte Islands	Mayotte Island	introduced invasive	Vos, P. (2004) (p. 7)

Comments:  A major invasive species in Samoa (Space & Flynn, 2002).

Additional information:
Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Albizia chinensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Albizia chinensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Albizia chinensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1967. Voucher specimen #BISH 664582 (MacKee, H.S. 17641).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1972. Voucher specimen #BISH 83903 (Whistler, W.A. W 230).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1973. Voucher specimen #BISH 417726 (Whistler, W.A. W 661).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1974. Voucher specimen #BISH 418201 (Whistler, W.A. W 1598).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 491055 (Florence, J. 3970).

Bishop Museum (Honolulu). 1982. Voucher specimen #BISH 493040 (Florence, J. 2299).

Chong, Kwek Yan/Tan, Hugh T. W./Corlett, Richard T. 2009. A checklist of the total vascular plant flora of Singapore: native, naturalised and cultivated species. Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, National University of Singapore. 273 pp.

Comité français de l'Union Internationale pour la Conservation de la Nature en France. 2010. Les espéces envahissantes en outre-mer (online resource).

Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. 2011. Base de données botaniques Nadeaud de l'Herbier de la Polynésie Française (PAP). (online resource).

Hanum/I. Faridah/Van der Maesen, L.J.G, eds. 1997. PROSEA : Plant resources of south-east Asia 11, auxiliary plants. LIPI Press, Jakarta, Indonesia. 385 pp. ISBN 979-799-093-1.

Herbst, Derral. 1998. New records for Hawaiian plants. I. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1997. Part 2: Notes. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 56:2-4.

ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre. 2011. International Legume Database & Information Service. Online searchable database.

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Merrill, Elmer D. 1923. An enumeration of Philippine flowering plants, vol. 2 [reprint]. Bureau of Printing, Manila. 530 pp.

National Tropical Botanical Garden (U.S.A. Hawaii. Kalaheo.). 2002. Voucher specimen #PTBG307(Tim Flynn 6941).

Space, James C./Flynn, Tim. 2002. Report to the Government of Samoa on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 83 pp.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Vos, P. 2004. Case studies on the status of invasive woody plant species in the western Indian Ocean. 2. The Comoros Archipelago (Union of the Comoros and Mayotte). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Forestry Department, Forest Resources Division, Forest Resources Development Service, Working Paper FBS/4-2E. 34 pp.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Whistler, W. A. 1984. Annotated list of Samoan plant names. Economic Botany 38:464.489.

Whistler, W. A. 1984. Rainforest trees of Samoa: A guide to the common native and naturalized lowland and foothill forest trees of the Samoan Archielago. Isle Botanica, Honolulu. 210 pp. ISBN 0-645426-4-1.

Wu, Te-lin. 2001. Check List of Hong Kong Plants. Hong Kong Herbarium and the South China Institute of Botany. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Bulletin 1 (revised). 384 pp.

Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong. 2011. Flora of China (online resource).