1) The document describes two species of trees, Albizia lebbeck and Albizia falcataria (now known as Paraserianthes falcataria). 2) It provides details on their growth habits, native ranges, site requirements, regeneration techniques, pests and diseases, and economic uses. 3) Both species are fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing trees used for fuelwood, fodder, timber, and pulp/paper production. They can establish on poor soils but grow best with adequate moisture and nutrients.

1. Albizia lebbeck and Albizia
falcataria
By
m.murugan(bsf-11-019)

2. Albizia lebbeck
Current name: Albizia lebbeck Authority: Benth.
Family: Fabaceae – Mimosoideae
(Tamil) : vagai, vagei
(Trade name) : kokko
(English) : acacia amarilla, East Indian walnut, English
woman's tongue, fry wood, Indian siris, lebbeck, siris tree,
woman’s tongue tree

3. Growth habitat and morphology
 A. lebbeck is a dominant species in semi-evergreen
vine forests (monsoon forest) in areas with a mean
annual rainfall of 1300-1500 mm and a very dry
winter.
 It is also found in semi-deciduous microphyll vine
thicket on screes of quartz sandstone mountains. It can
withstand long, hot, dry periods and cold winters.

4.  Native : Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand
 Exotic : Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda,
Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Central African Republic,
Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya,
Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa,
Sudan, Swaziland, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US),
Zambia, Zimbabwe

6. site factors
 Altitude: 0-1800 m,
 Mean annual temperature: 19-35 deg. C,
 Mean annual rainfall: 500-2500 mm
 Soil type: Establishes well on fertile, well-drained
loamy soils but poorly on heavy clays. Tolerates
acidity, alkalinity, heavy and eroded soils, and
waterlogged soils. Examples of soil types include,
shallow sandy soils, laterite and loam laterite.

7. Phenology
Reproductive Biology
 A. lebbeck is hermaphroditic.
 In its natural habitat, flowering occurs from
September to October; mature pods remain on the
tree for long periods and are available May-July.
 In Sudan it flowers from March to May and fruits
from May to August. Flowers are bisexual.

8.  Botanic description
Albizia lebbeck can attain a height of 30 m and a diameter of 1
m; more often it is 15-20 m tall with a diameter of 50 cm;
 bark grey-violet with rusty brown breathing pores, rough and
fissured.
 Compound leaves bipinnate, glabrous or slightly hairy on the
axis; pinnae in 2-4 pairs, each with 2-11 pairs of obliquely
oblong leaflets 15-45 x 8-22 mm, shortly stalked; glabrous
glands are raised, elliptic to circular, on the upper side of the
stalk close to the base and between most pairs of leaflets.
 Flowers appear shortly after new leaves, are white, heavily
scented, with the stamens free above the corolla, in heads 18-36
mm across excluding the stamens, on a stout stalk 5-7.5 cm long,
appearing singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils and in
terminal panicles;

9.  stamens 30-40, yellowish-green on top side, white
underside, up to 5 cm long; flower-stalks up to 5 mm long;
corolla tube, 1 cm long.
 Pods pale straw to light brown at maturity, narrow-
oblong, 15-26 x 3-5 cm, papery, leathery, flat and not
raised or constricted between seeds; seeds brown, flat,
orbicular or elliptic, 8-10 x 6-7 mm; transversely placed
with 6-12 in each pod.
 The genus is named after Filippo del Albizzi, a
Florentine nobleman who in 1749 introduced A. julibrissin
into cultivation. The species name is from the Arabic name
for this plant, ‘laebach’. When agitated by the wind, the
pods and enclosed seeds are said to produce an incessant
rattle likened to women’s chatter, hence the name ‘woman’s
tongue’

10. Regeneration techniques
 Propagation methods
It is best established using potted seedlings,
although bare-rooted seedlings, direct seeding and stump
cuttings have all been used successfully.
 Seed pretreatment involves scarification and immersion
in boiling hot water then cooling and soaking for 24 hours,
or acid treatment to break seed-coat dormancy.
Germination improves after storage for 2-4 years, but
satisfactory germination (50-60%) has been obtained
from fresh seeds. Freshly collected seed has about 70%
germination capacity after 1-2 months.
 About 880 pods weigh 1 kg and will yield about 300
g of seed

11. Tree Management
 A. lebbeck coppices well, responds to pollarding,
pruning and lopping, and will produce root suckers if
the roots are exposed.
 Typical spacing is 3 x 3 m for fuelwood, and 5 x 5
m for timber. Fuelwood plantations spaced at 3 x 3 m
clear felled on a 10-year rotation produce about 50
cubic m/ha of stacked fuelwood.
 In Queensland A. lebbek reaches about 11 m in
height and 50 cm dbh in 30 years. The trees are
vulnerable to strong winds and are killed by even light
fires

12. Pest and diseases
 Root rot, stem cankers, heart rot, spot fungi
and rust can damage the tree, as well as a wide
range of insect pests, including leaf- and bark-
feeding caterpillars, sap suckers, wood and seed
borers and defoliators such as psyllids.
 In Nigeria ,the striped mealy bug, Ferrisia
virgata, harms the tree

13. Economic Importance
 Fodder: A. lebbeck is grown in some areas primarily as
fodder for camels, water buffalo and cattle. The leaves
are reported to be good fodder, with 17-26% crude
protein; 100 kg of leaves yield 11-12 kg of digestible
protein, and 37 kg of digestible carbohydrates.
 The pods contain saponin and are not eaten in large
amounts by sheep, although cattle eat them readily.
 Apiculture: Its whitish flowers are fragrant, attracting
bees. Highly regarded by bee-keepers for the light-
coloured honey its nectar provides.
 Fuel: An excellent fuelwod species with a calorific value
of 5200 kcal/g. A. amara fruits can yield 10 barrels of
ethanol per hectare

14.  Timber: Sapwood is pale; heartwood is dark brown with
black streaks and very decorative.
 It is moderately heavy and hard, strong and fairly
durable, with a specific gravity of 0.5-0.6 kg/cubic m. The
wood seasons well, works and polishes easily, can be used
for interior moulding, parquet, furniture, panelling, turnery
and general construction.
 It is also used for making agricultural implements and
mine props. Timber plantations in India clear felled after
25-30 years yield about 10-12 cubic m/ha per year of
timber, but under semi-arid conditions and on shallow soils,
a mean increment of 2-3 cubic m/ha is obtained.

15.  Gum or resin: The trunk yields a reddish gum that is
used as an adulterant of gum arabic.
 Tannin or dyestuff: The bark is used locally in India
for tanning fishing nets (tannin content of 7-11%).
 Medicine: Leaves and seeds are used for eye
problems, and the bark to treat boils. Saponin from
pods and roots has spermicidal activity.
 Other products: When dried and pounded, the
bark can be used for soap.

18. Albizia falcataria
Current name: Paraserianthes falcataria
Authority: (L.) Nielsen
Family: Fabaceae – Mimosoideae
(English) : albizia, batai, Indonesian albizia, moluca,
paraserianthes, peacock plume, white albizia
(Trade name) : batai

19. Geographical distribution
 A pioneer species, P. falcataria occurs in primary
but more characteristically in secondary lowland
rainforest and in light montane forest, grassy plains
and along roadsides near the sea.
 It is adapted to peri-humid and monsoonal climates
with a dry season of up to 2 (4 max.) months.
 It is sensitive to fire and easily damaged by strong
wind. In natural stands in Irian Jaya, P. falcataria is
associated with species such as Agathis labillardieri,
Celtis spp., Diospyros spp., Pterocarpus indicus,
Terminalia spp. and Toona sureni.

20. State wise data
Native : Haiti, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea,
Solomon Islands
Exotic : Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cook Islands,
Fiji, French Polynesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia,
Marshall Islands, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Norfolk
Island, Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Tonga, United
States of America, Vanuatu, Vietnam

21. Site factors
 Altitude: 0-1 200 m,
 Mean annual temperature: 22-29 deg. C,
 Mean annual rainfall: 2 000-4 000 mm. averaging
2800 mm
 Soil type: Deep, well drained fertile soils, such as
friable clay loam. Prefers alkaline to acid soils.

23. phenology
 Trees may flower as early as 3 years. Two flowering
periods per year have been observed in Peninsula
Malaysia and Sabah.
 Ripe pods appear approximately 2 months after
flowering.
 The pods dehisce when ripe, often when still
attached to the tree, scattering the seeds on the ground

24. Regeneration techniques
P. falcataria requires great amounts of light and
regenerates naturally only when the soil is exposed to
sunlight. In the forest, wildings sprout in abundance only
when the canopy is open and when soil is cleared from the
undergrowth.
Wildings can be successfully collected and potted for
planting but are delicate and must be carefully handled.
The species can be planted from seedlings, direct seeding
or stump cuttings.
Small seeds are difficult to collect from the ground and
are usually collected by cutting down branches bearing
ripe, brown pods.

25.  Untreated seeds germinate irregularly; germination
may start after 5-10 days but is sometimes delayed for
up to 4 weeks. To hasten and ensure uniform germination,
soak in boiling water for 1-3 minutes or immerse in
concentrated sulphuric acid for 10 minutes followed by
subsequent washing and soaking in water for 18 hours.
 Germination rates can be as high as 80% to almost
100%.
 Seeds of P. falcataria are usually sown by
broadcasting, pressed gently into the soil and then
covered by a layer of fine sand up to 1.5 cm thick.
 The soil in the seedbed must be loose and well
drained; application of a surface layer of mulch is
advisable, and excessive shading should be avoided.

26.  Seedlings can be transplanted when they have
reached a height of 20-25 cm with a woody stem and
a good fibrous root system; this stage can be reached
in 2-2.5 months.
 Container plants are often transplanted into the
field when 4-5 months old. Seed tissue has been
successfully used in the Philippines for propagation by
tissue culture. Seedlings have epigeal germination.

27. Tree Management
 P. falcataria grows so fast that it is sometimes called
the ‘miracle tree’. It is even mentioned in the Guinness
Book of Records as the world’s fastest growing tree. On
good sites it can attain a height of 7 m in just over a year.
 Trees reach a mean height of 25.5 m and a bole
diameter of 17 cm after 6 years, 32.5 m high and 40.5
cm diameter after 9 years, 38 m high and 54 cm
diameter after 12 years, and 39 m high and 63.5 cm
diameter after 15 years.
 P. falcataria coppices although coppicing vigour is
highly variable.

28.  It has been found that growth at 2 x 2 m spacing is
significantly faster than at 1 x 1 m. If sawn timber is
desired, stands can be thinned to 6 x 6 m at 6-8 years
and harvested at 15 years.
 P. falcataria is commonly used in agroforestry
systems, usually in a cutting cycle of 10-15 years, in
combination with annual crops in the 1st year and
grazing animals in subsequent years.
 When planted, it can grow on comparatively poor
sites and survive without fertilizer. However, it does not
thrive in poorly drained, flooded or waterlogged soils

29.  Growth of young trees in a phosphorous-deficient
soil is promoted by inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi
Gigaspora margarita and Glomus fasciculatum in
combination with Rhizobium.
 Nitrogen-fixing nodules containing leghaemoglobin
are found on roots.
 P. falcataria plantations should be kept weed free
during the 1st few years.

30. Pests and diseases
 Nursery seedlings are susceptible to damping-off
caused by fungi of Rhizoctonia, Sclerotium, Fusarium,
Pythium and Phytophthora.
 Sterilizing the soil before sowing and applying
fungicides to soil and seeds may control the disease.
The fungus Corticum salmonicolor causes a disease
known as pink canker or salmon canker.
 Light brown lesions appear on the bark of young
trees, they gradually enlarge and develop cracks, the
colour turns to pale salmon or pinkish, and mycelium
mats appear around the lesions.

31.  The disease may seriously damage plantations.
Plantations can also suffer from other fungal diseases
like red root caused by Ganoderma pseudoferrum.
An anthracnose seedling disease caused by
Colletotrichum species has been observed in Sumatra.
 In 1988 and 1989, gall rust disease caused by
Uromycladium tepprianum provoked severe damage
in Bukidnon Province (Mindanao, the Philippines).

32.  The government banned the transport of logs in and
out of Bukidnon Province, and planting was suspended.
 Plantation pests in Indonesia, Malaysia and the
Philippines include stem borers such as the longicorn
beetle Xystrocera festiva and the red borer Zeuzera
coffea (a cossid moth).
 Leaf-eating caterpillars (e.g. Eurema blanda, E.
hecabe and Semiothesa emersaria) may attack
seedlings and trees. Aphids have on occasion been a
problem. Insecticides are commonly used in controlling
these pests.
 The small bagworm Pteroma plagiophleps is a
serious pest in Sumatra.

33. Economic importance
 Fodder: An activated tree metabolism at the
beginning of the wet season synthesizes a complex
polysaccharide that increases palatability for cattle
of the bark. Leaves are used to feed chickens and
goats.
 Fuel: Widely used for fuelwood and charcoal
production in spite of its low density and energy
value.
 Fibre: P. falcataria trees coppice fairly well, an
advantage for pulpwood production. The wood is
suitable for pulping and papermaking

34.  It can be used to produce good-quality pulp by
mechanical, semi-chemical or chemical processes. Because
of its light colour, only a little bleaching is required to
achieve good white paper. The neutral, semi-chemical
process produces pulp with excellent strength properties. It
has also been used for the manufacture of viscose rayon.
 Timber: The comparatively soft timber is suitable for
general utility purposes, such as light construction,
furniture, cabinet work, lightweight packing materials and
pallets, and chopsticks. Because the wood is fairly easy to
cut, P. falcataria is also suitable for wooden shoes, musical
instruments, toys and novelties, forms and general turnery.

35.  P. falcataria is an important source of veneer and
plywood and is very suitable for the manufacture of
particleboard, wood-wool board and hardboard
and has recently been used for blockboard.
 Tannin or dyestuff: The bark of P. falcataria has
tanning properties.

36.  Germplasm Management
Seed storage behaviour is orthodox. There is no loss in
viability during 1.5 years in air-dry storage at 4-8
deg. C.
 For storage, seeds are air dried for 24 hours and
then packed in polythene bags. When stored at 4-8
deg. C,
 the germination rate after 18 months may still be
70-90%. There are 38 000-44 000 seeds/kg

39. Reference
• www.fao.org
• www.worldagroforestry.com