Albizia julibrissin Durazz., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results: 

High risk, score: 18 (Go to the risk assessment (Pacific)).
Reject, score: 21 (Go to the risk assessment (U.S. Florida)).

Other Latin names:  Acacia julibrissin (Durazz.) Willd.; Acacia mollis Wall.; Mimosa arborea Forssk.; Mimosa julibrissin Scop.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: he huan

English: mimosa, pink siris, silktree, silktree albizia, varay-cotton

French: arbre de soie

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees, deciduous, to 16 m tall; crown open. Branchlets angular; branchlet, leaf rachis, and inflorescence tomentose or pubescent. Stipules deciduous, linear-lanceolate, smaller than leaflets; pinnae 4-12 pairs, sometimes to 20 pairs in cultivated species; glands near base of petiole and leaf rachis of uppermost pinnae; leaflets 10-30 pairs, obliquely linear to oblong, 6-12 x 1-4 mm, main vein close to upper margin, base truncate, margin ciliate, apex apiculate. Panicles terminal. Flowers pink. Calyx tubiform, ca. 3 mm, pubescent. Corolla ca. 8 mm; lobes deltoid, ca. 1.5 mm. Filaments pink, ca. 2.5 cm. Legume strap-shaped, flat, 9-15 x 1.5-2.5 cm, glabrous"  (Flora of China online).

Habitat/ecology:  "Prefers areas of high summer heat and is frost tolerant. In its native range, prefers open sunny ravines. To 900 m, mean annual temperature: 20-25 degrees C. Prefers sandy loam-medium loam soil and can withstand high soil pH and salinity"  (Agroforestree database).  "Forest edges, disturbed areas.  Where native, this tree grows in scrub and woodland on moist sites.  A large seed production and the ability to resprout after damage make it a strong competitor.  It forms dense stands that reduce light levels and nutrients and prevent the establishment of native plants.  The tree is nitrogen-fixing, usually abundantly nodulated and well adapted to poor soils.  It is fast growing, resistant to drought and tolerates moderate frosts"  (Weber, 2003; p. 35).

Propagation:  "Silk tree takes advantage of disturbed areas, often spreading by seed from nearby ornamentals or from contaminated fill dirt"  (Agroforestree database)

Native range:  Central, eastern and southeast Asia  (Flora of China online).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
French Polynesia Society Islands	Tahiti Island	introduced cultivated	Florence, J./Chevillotte, H./Ollier, C./Meyer, J.-Y. (2011) Cultivée

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
China China	China (People's Republic of)	native cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
China China	Hong Kong	introduced cultivated	Wu, Te-lin (2001) (p. 130) Ornamental
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Japan Japan	Japan (country)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
North Korea North Korea	North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
South Korea South Korea	South Korea (Republic of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
New Zealand New Zealand	New Zealand (country)	introduced cultivated	Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. (1988) (p. 702) Often cultivated but collected as naturalized only once.
Taiwan Taiwan	Taiwan Island	native cultivated	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. 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)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	introduced	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2011)

Control:  "Cutting at ground level is most effective at the beginning of flowering.  Repeated cutting or herbicide treatment is needed for emerging resprouts.  Girdling is effective to kill large trees.  Seedlings can be hand pulled but the entire root should be removed.  Effective herbicides for treating cut stumps or seedlings and saplings are glyphosate or tricolpyr"  (Weber, 2003; p. 35).

Additional information:
Fact sheet from the Agroforestree database.
Fact sheet from the Plant Conservation Alliance.
Information from the Global Invasive Species Database.
Information from the Fire Effects Information System.

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

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

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

References:

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).

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

International Center for Research in Agroforestry. 2008. AgroForestryTree database: a tree species reference and selection guide (online resource). World Agroforestry Centre.

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

U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. 2011. The PLANTS Database. National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.

Webb, C. J./Sykes, W. R./Garnock-Jones, P. J. 1988. Flora of New Zealand, Volume IV: Naturalised pteridophytes, gymnosperms, dicotyledons. Botany Division, DSIR, Christchurch. 1365 pp.

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.

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).