Common Name: Bitter Albizia

General Information

Albizia amara is a small to moderate-sized, much-branched deciduous shrub or small tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall. It has a smooth, dark green, scaly bark. It resembles the acacias but lacks thorns[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, source of wood and other materials. It is popularly planted as a shade tree for tea and coffee plantations, and is also planted in urban areas as an ornamental and avenue tree[].

Known Hazards

It is believed that the seeds are poisonous[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - Sudan and Ethiopia southwards to Zimbabwe, Botswana and the Transvaal.

Habitat

Found mainly in sandy woodlands[]. Often found near streams, where it can reach more water[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of semi-arid, tropical and subtropical areas, where it is found at elevations from 400 - 1,500 metres[, ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 15 - 40°c, but can tolerate 10 - 50°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 400 - 1,000mm, but tolerates 250 - 1,200mm[].
Thrives in lighter soils, succeeding even when fertility is low, and is also able to tolerate clay soils[, ]. A strong light-demander, it is intolerant of shade, very hardy and shows marked resistance to drought[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 - 8[].
The yellow or pinkish-white, fragrant flower heads appear mainly in the rainy season, and the fruits ripen in the cold season[].
The plant has a shallow and spreading root system[].
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[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Leaves are used as an adulterant for tea[].

Medicinal

The tree yields a gum used against ulcers[].

The fruit pods are emetic[]. They are used in the treatment of malaria and coughs[, ].

A root infusion is drunk to treat pneumonia, tuberculosis, infertility of women and as an aphrodisiac[].
The roots are applied externally to treat warts and as a remedy against uterus complaints[].

The bark is used to treat jaundice and mouth inflammations[].

The leaves are used in the treatment of diarrhoea, oedema and wounds[].

Agroforestry Uses:

Its spreading root system makes it a good soil binder, deterring soil erosion[].
This is a very good species for reforestation 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[].
It is used in agroforestry schemes in India, Indonesia and other countries, where it is usually incorporated into rainfed agriculture and diversified with maize, cassava and fruit trees such as papaya, mango and orange[].
The tree is often planted to provide shade for tea and coffee plantations[].

Other Uses

It is reported that soap can be made from the roots and leaves which can be used for washing hair[, ].

Tannins may be obtained from the bark[].

A gum exudes from the trunk. It is not of high quality, but is mixed with other gums as an extender[].

The wood from this species is darkish in colour, fine grained and hard. Somewhat like walnut, it can be used for furniture making, agricultural implements and construction[, ].
The branches are suited to both firewood and charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. The treated seed can be then sown and will germinate within 7 - 10 days. Germination rate is about 80%[].
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[].

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