Bark
Rough, grey-brown bark that breaks into irregular flakes and deep fissures on older trunks, featuring a yellowish-brown inner blaze and massive, brittle limbs.
Albizia lebbeck
Syn. Albizia latifolia
IUCN Red List
Least Concern
(LC)
Local name
- Woman’s tongue (English)
- Siras (Hindi)
- Kalo Sirish (Gujarati)
Tree type
Evergreen
Deciduous
Family: Fabaceae
20m
Indicated uses
Medicinal
Edible
Ornamental
Avenue
Other
Flowering & fruiting
Flowering
Fruiting
Key characters
Leaves
Bipinnately compound leaves (7.5–15 cm long) bearing 2 to 4 pairs of main pinnae, each carrying 6 to 18 pairs of opposite, oblong leaflets with large glands near the leaf-stalk base.
Flower
Highly fragrant, mimosa-like flower heads (5–6 cm wide) composed of fluffy, pale cream, greenish-yellow, or whitish stamens rising on long stalks.
Fruit / Seeds
Flat, strap-shaped, straw-coloured pods (15–30 cm long) that remain paper-dry on bare winter branches, enclosing 6 to 12 flat, oval brown seeds.
Did you know?
Known as Shirish or Shirisha in Ayurveda, the tree is traditionally regarded as a Vishaghna (antitoxic remedy). Its bark and leaves have been used in traditional medicine for venomous stings, allergic reactions and respiratory ailments.
Distribution
Indian Subcontinent to Myanmar, Worldwide