Common Name:

General Information

Albizia boivinii is a deciduous tree usually growing up to 20 metres tall but occasionally to 35 metres. The bole is usually up to 40cm in diameter, but can be up to 130cm[].
The tree is harvested from the wild for local use of its wood.

Known Hazards

Seed extracts are toxic to mice[].

Botanical References

Range

Africa - western and central Madagascar.

Habitat

Dry, subarid and subhumid woodland at elevations below 2,000 metres. Mostly found on sandy soils[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	15.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The plant is found mainly on sandy soils in the wild[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Seed extracts are toxic to mice, and showed haemolytic activity in red blood cells of sheep as well as antibacterial activity against several pathogenic bacteria[].

Other Uses

Pod extracts showed toxicity against crab brood and inhibit germination of rice and bean seeds[].

The whitish to slightly pinkish wood is soft and easy to work. Durability low, the wood being liable to fungal attack and susceptible to termites and Lyctus borers[]. The wood is used for making dugout canoes, and is suitable for peeled veneer and plywood corestock[].
The wood is used for fuel and to make 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.

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