ALBIZZIA LEBBEK
Family – Fabaceae
Scientific name – Albizzia lebbek
COMMON NAMES –
1) It is known as the Siris.
2) Albizzia is so named in honour of Albizzi, an
Italian naturalist of the 18th century.
3) Lebbek the name in Egypt where it is much used as
a roadside tree.
4) Another American name is Woman’s Tongue also
referring to the sound of the pods in the wind.
GENERAL INFORMATION –
1) The medium sized to large deciduous tree
with dark grey rough bark.
2) Leaves compound, the main stalk as a rule
with a large gland about an inch from the base.
3) The rachis does not bear leaflets direct
but usually 2-3 pairs of lateral axes on which 3-9 pairs of asymmetrical
leaflets are borne.
4) Flowers very fragrant, pale
greenish-yellow, in heads on stalks 2-4 inches long.
5) The only conspicuous part of the flower is
the long silky stamens.
6) Pods 6-12 inches long, 1-2 inches broad,
thin, straw-coloured when ripe.
7) This tree is best recognized by its large
pods which are freely produced and remain long on the tree, being specially
conspicuous in the hot weather when the tree is more or less leaflets.
USES OF THE ALBIZZIA LEBBEK –
1) The siris is planted almost throughout
India as a roadside tree as it is a hardy, easily raised from seed and grows
rapidly.
2) It has an excellent habit for a roadside
tree but is leafless during the hot weather.
3) Moreover it is a relatively short lived
tree.
4) Old specimens are frequently much
disfigured by dead stumps of large branches badly infested with wood-boring
insects which eventually lead to the destruction of the tree.
5) The timber of the siris is exported to
Europe from the Andaman’s as koko or East Indian Walnut and is used for
furniture but in most parts of India the wood of the sins is not appreciated.
6) The sapwood is broad and very subject to
attack by insects.
7) The heartwood is dark brown with lighter
and darker streaks, it polishes and works well.
8) It is used for cane-crushers, oil-presses
and parts of wheels.
HABITAT –
1) The siris has been so much planted and spread
by cultivation that its original habitat is not now known.
2) It is found almost throughout India.
3) To the west of India it is found through Arabia
and Egypt to Senegal as a planted tree.
4) It is planted also in China and Indo-China.
5) In tropical America it has long been
cultivated and is locally known as fry wood owing to the incessant rattle of
the pods in the wind making a sound like
that of frying fish.
