Albizia saponaria (Lour.) Blume ex Miq., Fabaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Mimosa saponaria Lour.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: whiteflower albizia

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Tree 5-10 m high, leaves 28-40 cm long, bipinnate, pinnae 2 pairs, 10-20 cm long, the distal pair larger than the basal pair, leaflets usually 2-3 pairs per pinna, 3.5-12 x 2.5-7 cm, ovate to elliptic, sides of base equal to unequal, apex obtuse or abruptly short-acuminate, adaxially sparsely puberulent, abaxially puberulent; inflorescence a terminal panicle of heads, 15-33 x 9-20 cm, the axes densely brown-hirtellous; heads 1-2 cm in diameter, 6-12-flowered, flowers white; calyx 2 mm long, strigillose, the lobes 0.3-0.6 mm long, acute; corolla 3-4 mm long, the lobes 1.5 mm long; stamens 12-15 mm long; pods 7-18 x 2.5-3.2 cm, thin, flat, brown, margin raised, 5-12-seeded; seeds 6 x 3 mm, elliptic, flat, dark brown"  (Lorence, Flynn & Wagner, 1995; p. 36).

Habitat/ecology:  In Fiji, "sparsely cultivated and also locally naturalized at low elevations along roadsides and forming thickets"  (Smith, 1985; p. 77)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Celebes, Moluccas, Sula Archipelago and the Philippines (Lorence, Flynn & Wagner, 1995; p. 36).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1985) (p. 77) Vouchers cited: DA 2291, DA 155561, DA 7673, DA 1001
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced invasive	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 36) Vouchers cited: K. R. Wood & R. Schleck 2522 (BISH, NY, PTBG, US), K.R. Wood & R. Schleck 3002 (BISH, PTBG, US) Naturalized over several acres.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1993) (voucher ID: BISH 666755) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia saponaria (Lour.) Blume ex Miq.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Lau, Alex/Frohlich, Danielle (2012) (p. 15) Voucher cited: J. Beachy & K. Kawelo U.S. Army 157 (BISH)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1915) (voucher ID: BISH 54700) Taxon name on voucher: Albizia saponaria (Lour.) Blume ex Miq.
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 36)
Philippines Philippine Islands	Philippine Islands	native	Merrill, Elmer D. (1923) (pp. 247-247) Common in forests, parang, etc., at low and medium altitudes.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Indonesia Indonesia	Indonesia (Republic of)	native	Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. (1995) (p. 36)
Indonesia Indonesia	West Papua Province (Indonesia) (western New Guinea Island) (formerly Irian Jaya)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Malaysia Malaysia	Malaysia (country of)	native	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)
Vietnam Vietnam	Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)	introduced	ILDIS Co-ordinating Centre (2011)

Additional information:
Information from the ASEAN Tropical Plant Database.

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

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

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

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1915. Voucher specimen #BISH54700(Rock, J.F.C. 12640).

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1993. Voucher specimen #BISH666755(Wood, K.R. s.n.).

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

Lau, Alex/Frohlich, Danielle. 2012. New plant records from O‘ahu for 2009. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Eldredge, Lucius G., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2011. Part II: Plants. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 113:7-26.

Lorence, David H./Flynn, Timothy W./Wagner, Warren L. 1995. Contributions to the flora of Hawai‘i. III. New additions, range extensions, and rediscoveries of flowering plants. In: Evenhuis, Neal L. and Miller, Scott, E., eds. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 1994. Part 1: Articles. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. 41:19-58.

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

Smith, Albert C. 1985. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 3. 758 pp.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

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