Albizia amara

Last updated

Albizia amara
Albizia amara(Roxb.)Bolvin..jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Caesalpinioideae
Clade: Mimosoid clade
Genus: Albizia
Species:
A. amara
Binomial name
Albizia amara
(Roxb.) Boiv.
Synonyms [1]
  • Acacia wightii Wight & Arn
  • Mimosa amaraRoxb.
  • Mimosa pulchellaRoxb.
  • Acacia nellyrenzaWight & Arn.
  • Acacia amaraWilld.

Albizia amara is a tree in the family Fabaceae. Its range includes southern and Eastern Africa, from South Africa to Sudan and Ethiopia. It is also found in India and Sri Lanka. [2]

Contents

Description

Albizia amara is a mid-sized, deciduous tree which resembles acacia without the thorns. [3] The bark of the tree is grey in color and is grainy and scaly. [3] The leaves consist of up to 15 pairs of side stalks and the leaflets are tiny and can consist of about 15–35 pairs. [3] The flowers are whitish-yellow powder puffs with long stamens and golden pollen. [3] The pods are flat and are about 20 cm long. [3] The leaves thin out during February–March and are renewed in April. [3] The flowers are present throughout May and the fruits ripen during October and November. [3] It is a host plant for Achaea janata . [4]

Ecology

Albizia amara is intolerant of shade, and resistant to drought. In Africa it grows mainly in sandy woodlands. [2]

Albizia amara and Hardwickia binata are the dominant canopy trees in the Central Deccan Plateau Dry Deciduous Forests ecoregion of India. [5] It is also found in the Anamalai, Palani and Cardamom hills of Western Ghats and the Godavari area, the Javadi Hills of Eastern Ghats in South India. [6]

Uses

Albizia amara with flowers and pods Albizia amara HS 4412.jpg
Albizia amara with flowers and pods

Medicinal uses

Its wood is used for construction and furniture, and as a firewood. Albizia amara provides many environmental services: control of soil erosion, wind break, shade provider. It is also an ornamental tree in urban areas. Ruminants can feed its leaves. [9]

In colonial times, in India, its "plentiful" wood was extensively used as railway fuel. [10]

Related Research Articles

<i>Azadirachta indica</i> Species of plant

Azadirachta indica, commonly known as margosa, neem, nimtree or Indian lilac, is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and to parts of Southeast Asia, but is naturalized and grown around the world in tropical and subtropical areas. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil. Nīm (नीम) is a Hindustani noun derived from Sanskrit nimba (निंब).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Deccan dry evergreen forests</span> Ecoregion of India

The East Deccan dry evergreen forests is an ecoregion of southeastern India. The ecoregion includes the coastal region behind the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, between the Eastern Ghats and the sea. It covers eastern Tamil Nadu, part of Puducherry and south eastern Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in India

The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is an ecoregion in the Western Ghats of southern India with tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. This biome covers the Nilgiri Hills between elevation of 250 and 1,000 m in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion in India

The South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests is a tropical dry forest ecoregion in southern India. The ecoregion lies in the southernmost portion of the Deccan Plateau, and includes the southernmost portion of the Eastern Ghats.

<i>Ziziphus mauritiana</i> Species of plant

Ziziphus mauritiana, also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinee apple, ber and dunks is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. It is often confused with the closely related Chinese jujube, but whereas Z. jujuba prefers temperate climates, Z. mauritiana is tropical to subtropical.

<i>Albizia julibrissin</i> Species of plant

Albizia julibrissin, the Persian silk tree, pink silk tree, or mimosa tree, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae, native to southwestern Asia and eastern Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests</span> Ecoregion of India

The Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests, presently known as East Deccan moist deciduous forests, is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests ecoregion in east-central India. The ecoregion covers an area of 341,100 square kilometers (131,700 sq mi), extending across portions of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana states.

<i>Erythrina variegata</i> Species of legume

Erythrina variegata, commonly known as tiger's claw or Indian coral tree, is a species of Erythrina native to the tropical and subtropical regions of eastern Africa, the Indian subcontinent, northern Australia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean east to Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests</span>

The Central Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests in Western and Southern India, containing large protected areas of natural tiger habitat.

<i>Madhuca longifolia</i> Species of tree

Madhuca longifolia is an Indian tropical tree found largely in the central, southern, north Indian plains and forests, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It is commonly known as madhūka, madkam, mahuwa, Butter Tree, mahua, mahwa, mohulo, Iluppai, Mee or vippa chettu. It is a fast-growing tree that grows to approximately 20 meters in height, possesses evergreen or semi-evergreen foliage, and belongs to the family Sapotaceae. It is adaptable to arid environments, being a prominent tree in tropical mixed deciduous forests in India in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

<i>Syzygium densiflorum</i> Species of flowering plant

Syzygium densiflorum is a species of evergreen tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats mountains, India. The species is categorised as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.

<i>Anogeissus leiocarpa</i> Species of tree

Anogeissus leiocarpa is a tall deciduous tree native to the savannas of tropical Africa.

<i>Parkia biglobosa</i> Species of legume

Parkia biglobosa, known in English as the African locust bean, is a perennial deciduous tree in the family Fabaceae. It is found in a wide range of environments in Africa and is primarily grown for its pods that contain both a sweet pulp and valuable seeds. Where the tree is grown, the crushing and fermenting of these seeds constitutes an important economic activity. Various parts of the locust bean tree are used for medicinal and food purposes. As a standing tree, locust bean may have a positive effect on the yield of other nearby crops.

<i>Albizia chinensis</i> Species of legume

Albizia chinensis is a species of legume in the genus Albizia, native to south and Southeast asia, from India to China and Indonesia.

<i>Alangium salviifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Alangium salviifolium, commonly known as sage-leaved alangium, is a flowering plant in the Cornaceae family. It is also commonly known as Ankolam in Malayalam, Ankola in Kannada, Akola or Ankol in Hindi and Alanji in Tamil. In India, Its mostly found in dry regions in plains and low hills and also found on roadsides.

<i>Mallotus tetracoccus</i> Species of tree

Mallotus tetracoccus, also known as the rusty kamala, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is a tree species found in parts of south Asia, typically occurring in the edges of tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests.

<i>Syzygium alternifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Syzygium alternifolium is a species of plant in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to North Arcot, Cuddapah, Kurnool, and the Nagari hills, in eastern Chittoor district, India. It has alternate leaves.

<i>Albizia procera</i> Species of tree

Albizia procera, commonly known as white siris or karoi tree, is a species of large tree found natively in southeast Asia and India. It is most commonly found in open forests, but may also be found on the margins of rain forests and in monsoon and gallery forests. It is considered an invasive species in South Africa.

<i>Casearia tomentosa</i> Species of plant in the family Salicaceae

Casearia tomentosa, commonly known as the toothed leaf chilla, is a species of flowering plant in the family Salicaceae, native to the Indian Subcontinent and Myanmar. It is one of 1,000 species that can be found in the Salicaeceae family. Casearia tomentosa has various phytochemical and pharmacological properties that are used in the treatment of many illnesses. It is most notable used in the treatment of seafood poisoning, diabetes, ringworm, and snake bites. Other common names include Bhari, Maun, Churcha, Sonne bethe, and Kakoli based on the region where it is found.

Albizia zygia is a fast growing medium-sized tree species within the Fabaceae family that is commonly found in West and Central Africa.

References

  1. "Albizia amara (Roxb.)B.Boivin" . Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Orwa C, A Mutua, Kindt R, Jamnadass R, S Anthony. 2009 Agroforestree Database: a tree reference and selection guide version 4.0 (http://www.worldagroforestry.org/sites/treedbs/treedatabases.asp Archived 2009-01-16 at the Wayback Machine ). Accessed 18 July 2014
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Krishen, Pradip (2006). Trees of Delhi: A Field Guide. Penguin Books India. ISBN   9780144000708.
  4. Sen-Sarma, P. K. (2012). Forest Entomology. APH Publishing. ISBN   9788131303320.
  5. Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Island Press; Washington, DC. pp. 324–326
  6. Mani, M.S (December 2012). Ecology and Biogeography in India. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9789401023313 . Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  7. Khare, C.P. (22 April 2008). Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary. Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 29, 30. ISBN   9780387706375.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Albizia amara – A Potential Medicinal Plant: A Review" (PDF). International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR). 5.
  9. Heuzé V., Thiollet H., Tran G., Lebas F., 2016. Albizia (Albizia amara). Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. https://www.feedipedia.org/node/337
  10. Cox, Arthur F., 1895. Madras District Manuals: North Arcot (North Arcot District Gazetteer). Madras: Government Press. p. 25.