Common Name:

General Information

Albizia chevalieri is a deciduous shrub or tree with a much branched, spreading crown and branches that often droop. It usually grows from 1.5 - 6 metres tall, occasionally to 12 metres. The bole can be 10 - 30cm in diameter, often branched from near the base[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

West tropical Africa - sub-Saharan regions from Senegal to southern Chad.

Habitat

Drier savannah regions; sandy soil; clayey-humid sand; alluvial terraces; swampy ground; rocky outcrops; clayey-sandy soil; sometimes in small clumps[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	5.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the semi-arid tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 30°c, but can tolerate 18 - 35°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 900mm, but tolerates 500 - 1,000mm[].
Requires a sunny position[]. Prefers a well-drained, light soil of moderate fertility[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[].
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

Young shoots - cooked[, , ].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The bark is a source of tannins[, ].

The fine roots are used as threads to repair calabashes[, ].

The pale-yellow coloured wood is of medium density. It is used for making furniture, occasionally for construction[, , ].

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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