Albizia wightii Wight & Arn.

Albizia amara is a small to moderate-sized, much-branched deciduous tree with smooth, dark green, scaly bark. It resembles the acacias but lacks thorns. Its root system is shallow and spreading. The leaves are pinnately compound, with 15-24 pairs of small, linear leaflets, on 6-15 pairs of pinnae. The yellow, fragrant and globose flowers are in clusters. They develop when the tree is almost leafless. Flowers pedicelled, yellow, fragrant, in 12-20 globose heads. Fruits are oblong pods, about 10-28 x 2-5 cm, light brown, puberulous, thin, and 6-8 seeded; seeds flattened, 8-13 x 7-8 mm. The genus was named after Filippo del Albizzi, a Florentine nobleman who in 1749 introduced A. julibrissin into cultivation. The specific name amara is probably the Latin word meaning ‘bitter’, although the allusion is not clear.

The yellow or pinkish-white, fragrant flower heads appear mainly in the rainy season, and the fruits ripen in the cold season.

Tolerates clays and is often found near streams, where it can reach more water.

A. amara is a strong light-demander, is intolerant of shade, very hardy and shows marked resistance to drought. It has a wide distribution in Africa, occurring from Sudan and Ethiopia southwards to Zimbabwe, Botswana and the Transvaal, growing mainly in sandy woodlands. In India, it is one of the characteristic trees of the dry regions of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The scrub forests in which it is usually found often have thorny species, particularly acacias. The most common associates met are xerophytic species such as Annogeissus latifolia, Boswellia serrata, Chloroxylon swietenia, Dalbergia paniculata and Ziziphus mauritiana.

Natural reproduction by seed is good in areas protected from fire and grazing. It reproduces very freely from coppice; it produces a large number of coppice shoots in the first instance, producing as many as 50-100 shoots. Artificially, the best method is through direct seeding. Seed pretreatment involves immersion in boiling water for 5 minutes followed by soaking for 12 hours. The treated seed can be then sown and will germinate within 7-10 days. Germination is about 80%.

Spacing generally adopted is 9-10 m apart along contour lines; plants are thinned when 2-3 m tall in the first year and 5-8 m in the third or fourth year depending on the rate of growth. Young seedlings should be protected from fire and grazing livestock. Though natural thinning is universal, the best shoots left in an unthinned stump are in no way inferior to those on a thinned stump. On this account, therefore, yield of firewood is likely to be greater at the end of the rotation.

No insects pests of importance have been reported so far; the larvae of Achaea janata defoliate, Bruchus uberatus damage seeds and pods, and the larvae of Bruchus schroderi var. importatus also attack the seeds.

The orthodox seeds can be stored up to 2.5 years without losing viability appreciably. They are best stored in mud pots with wood ash or in sealed tins or gunny bags.

Erosion control: Its spreading root system makes it a good soil binder, deterring soil erosion. Shade or shelter: Albizias are popular as shade trees for tea and coffee plantations. Reclamation: This is a very good species for afforestation of degraded hilly areas in dry and semi-arid tracts in mixture with other species such as Acacia catechu, A. planifrons, Anogeissus latifolia and Azadirachta indica. Ornamental: A. amara can be planted in urban areas as an ornamental and avenue tree. Intercropping: In India, Indonesia and other countries, it is usually incorporated into smallholding, rainfed agriculture and diversified with corn, cassava and fruit trees such as papaya, mango and orange.

Food: Leaves are used as an adulterant for tea. Fodder: The leaves make excellent fodder. Fuel: The branches are suited to both firewood and charcoal. Timber: The wood from this species is darkish in colour, fine grained and hard. It can therefore be used for furniture making, agricultural implements and construction. Tannin or dyestuff: Tannins may be obtained from the bark. Poison: It is alleged that the seeds are poisonous. Medicine: The tree yields a gum used against ulcers; fruits are said to cure malaria and coughs. Other products: It is reported that soap can be made from the roots and leaves can be used for washing hair.