Albizia versicolor Welw. ex Oliv.

Species

Angiosperms > Fabales > Fabaceae > Albizia

Characteristics

Tree to 18 m high with a spreading rounded crown. Bark greyish-brown, usually rough; young branchlets densely rusty-tomentose, older branchlets grey-tomentose. Leaves densely rusty-tomentose when young, becoming grey-pubescent when older: petiole 3-7.5 cm long, adaxial gland usually present and situated a short distance above the pulvinus, usually flattened, ±discoid, up to 3 x 2 mm; rhachis 0-18 cm long; pinnae 1-3(5) pairs; rhachillae 2-15 cm long, usually with a small gland below the junction of the top or top 1-2 pinnae pairs; leaflets 2-5(6) pairs, 15-67 x (10)15-45 mm, broadly and obliquely obovate or obovate-oblong to subcircular, apex rounded and often mucronate, sometimes subacute or emarginate, becoming coriaceous, pubescent above, densely tomentose or pubescent beneath, midrib and lateral nerves raised and very prominent beneath. Inflorescences globose; peduncles 2-6 cm long, rusty-tomentose. Flowers creamy-white, sessile or subsessile; bracteoles present or already deciduous at flowering time. Calyx 4.5-7 mm long, densely rusty-pubescent or-tomentose. Corolla 7-12 mm long, clothed like the calyx. Stamens 2.5-4 cm long, united basally for ±3 mm, tube not exceeding the corolla. Ovary ±3 mm long, subsessile, puberulous. Pods chestnut-to reddish-brown or purplish.8-22 x (2.2)3-5.5 cm, oblong, valves thin, glabrous or with few hairs on stipe and margins, ± glossy, obscurely transversely venose, margins thickened, longitudinally dehiscent. Seeds 9-13 x 8-11 mm, flattened.
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Tree 5–15 m. high (to 20 m., fide F.C.B.), deciduous; crown spreading, ± flat; bark rough, greyish-brown.. Young branchlets densely rusty-tomentose.. Leaves: rhachis clothed like the young branchlets; pinnae 1–4 (–5) pairs; leaflets 3–6 pairs, broadly and obliquely obovate to suborbicular, sometimes broadly oblong, 14–63 mm. long, 12–49 mm. wide, rounded and mucronate to emarginate at apex, rarely subacute, becoming coriaceous, pubescent above, densely tomentose or pubescent beneath.. Flowers white to greenish-yellow; pedicels 0–2(–2.5) mm. long; bracteoles at flowering-time present or already fallen.. Calyx 4.5–7 mm. long, densely rusty-pubescent or-tomentose outside, not slit unilaterally.. Corolla clothed like calyx, 8–12 mm. long.. Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond corolla; filaments 2.5–4.5 cm. long (to 5.5 cm. fide F.C.B.).. Pod oblong, 10–27 (–30 fide F.C.B.) cm. long, 3.2–6.5 cm. wide, glabrous (or with a very few hairs on stipe and margins only), ± glossy, obscurely venose, chestnut-brown or crimson.. Seeds about 9–13 mm. long and 8–11 mm. wide, flattened.
A tree. It grows 5-18 m high. The crown is flat and spreading. The bark is rough and greyish-brown. The young branches have a rusty covering. The leaves are compound. The leaflets are few and broad. There are 1-4 leaflet stalks and 3-6 pairs of leaflets along these. The leaflets are 2-6 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They are broadly oval. They are very hairy underneath. The flowers are white to greenish-yellow. The fruit is a pod 10-27 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. The seeds are flattened and about 1 cm across.
Leaves: rhachis clothed like the young branchlets; pinnae 1-4(5) pairs; leaflets 3-6 pairs, 14-63(70) x 12-49(55) mm., broadly and obliquely obovate to subcircular, sometimes broadly oblong, rounded and mucronate to emarginate at the apex, rarely subacute, becoming coriaceous, pubescent above, densely tomentose or pubescent beneath.
Tree, up to 18 m high. Young branchlets densely rusty-tomentose. Mature leaflets broadly and obliquely obovate to subcircular, 15-67 x (10-) 15-45 mm, densely pubescent to tomentose beneath, in 2-5 pairs. Pods glabrous. Flowers creamy white.
Pod dehiscent, 10-27(30 fide F.C.B.) x 3.2-6.5 cm., oblong, glabrous (or with some hairs on the stipe and margins only), ± glossy, obscurely venose, chestnut-brown or crimson.
Tree (3)5-18(20) m. high, deciduous; crown spreading, ± flat or rounded; bark usually rough, greyish-brown; young branchlets densely rusty-tomentose.
Flowers white to greenish-yellow; pedicels 0-2(2.5) mm. long; bracteoles at flowering time present or already fallen.
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond the corolla; filaments 2.5-4.5 cm. long (to 5.5 cm. fide F.C.B.).
Calyx 4.5-7 mm. long, densely rusty-pubescent or-tomentose outside, not slit unilaterally.
Corolla clothed like the calyx, 8-12 mm. long.
Seeds c. 9-13 x 8-11 mm., flattened.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 15.0 - 18.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 2.8
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer rhizobia
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a tropical plant. In east Africa it grows from sea level to 1,500 m altitude. It is best on well-drained soils.
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Deciduous woodland and wooded grassland at elevations up to 1,700 metres.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture -
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 9-12

Usage

The unripe seeds and pods are poisonous to animals.
Uses animal food bee plant charcoal environmental use fiber food fuel material medicinal poison social use vertebrate poison wood
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants can be grown from seeds or root suckers. Fresh seeds grow easily but stored seeds need soaking in water.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 90
Germination temperacture (C°) 18 - 23
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Albizia versicolor unspecified picture

Distribution

Albizia versicolor world distribution map, present in Angola, Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Mauritius, Malawi, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, United Republic of, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Conservation status

Albizia versicolor threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:473423-1
WFO ID wfo-0000187086
COL ID BGCJ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN)
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Albizia versicolor Albizia mossambicensis Feuilleea versicolor Albizia versicolor var. mossambicensis