Description
The tree forms a wide umbrella crown. Annual rings have a dark greenish coating of the bark. The bark of lignified branches is gray, sometimes vertical light spots are visible. Many shoots in a zigzag shape.
The leaves are openwork, two-pinnate, grow up to 45 × 25 cm. Due to the leaves closing at night and during rain, it is known in the world as “Persian mimosa" or "Sleeping tree«.
A double compound inflorescence appears at the top of the shoots. A single flower is collected in a capitate inflorescence, the inflorescences are collected in loose panicles. The flowers do not have petals; instead of petals, there are long filaments of stamens growing from a greenish bowl. Flowers are honey-bearing and fragrant, especially at night. In nature, flowers are pollinated by moths and hummingbirds.
The fruit is a long (10-20 cm) pod containing several large seeds.
There are two botanical varieties:
- Albizia julibrissin var. julibrissin
- Albizia julibrissin var. Mollis. It differs from the described species in thick hairs on the shoots.
There is also the form Albizia julibrissin F. Rosea, a smaller tree with pink flowers. Since it is found in the northernmost regions of North Korea and China, it tolerates much lower temperatures in winter than the species.
There are breeding varieties. Popular are:
- "Chocolate Summer" - has dark brown carmine leaves and pale pink flowers.
- "Ishii Weeping" (or ‘Pendula’) - has a drooping form of shoots.
Natural habitats - South and East Asia, from Iran to Korea, China to Japan, Crimea. Height, in nature up to 12 meters. Lankaran acacia, planted in open ground, rarely reaches 4 meters, at home - 2-2.5 meters. Bloom, in the warmest part of summer, when the temperature difference between day and night is not too high. Flower color, the stamens, white right on the cup, gradually turn pink.
Diseases and pests
Lankaran garden acacia is almost not susceptible to disease and does not suffer from pest attacks. Indoor acacia can be affected by spotting with hypothermia, and spider mites, with low humidity.
Pest control
You can notice the appearance of a tick by the presence of reddish dots on the underside of the leaves. Later, the leaves are covered with a dense sticky web.
To get rid of this pest, it is necessary to increase the humidity around the plant and rinse the stems and leaves with warm soapy water. In case of severe damage, treatment with acaricidal preparations can help, but only at t above + 18-20C.
Treatment of diseases
Leaf spot is a bacterial disease. Dealing with it is easy. It is enough to tear off all affected leaves and treat the plant with a fungicide. You can also use copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. During this period, watering is sharply reduced.
Taking care of this unusual plant is quite simple. In the southern regions, it can be planted in the garden. Lankaran acacia will decorate any area with its beautiful flowering and unique aroma. And the room albicia will perfectly complement the interior.
Landing
When grown outdoors, two conditions must be met. Plant on sunny, sheltered place... When grown in a container in the open air, they are set under the midday sun (after hardening), when grown at home, they provide the most illuminated place, with the sun's rays - only in the morning. The southern sun behind the glass will burn the leaves. Later, Lankaran acacia will shed damaged leaves.
Japanese mimosa tree. Long-standing confusion: bashful mimosa vs silver acacia
In spring, in different cities of Russia, you can see for sale beautiful twigs with silvery leaves and bright yellow flowers.They are often sold by March 8, and many people just like to buy them for beauty. After winter, you always want bright colors ...
Silver acacia blooms ... Photo from the site
However, many people mistakenly call these twigs and flowers mimosa. This is a common mistake. I don't know exactly where she came from. But the name stuck (about the same as that of the zygocactus, called the "Decembrist"). What kind of plant is it really?
The tree, the flowering branches of which are brought to Moscow in the spring (usually from Abkhazia), is called silver acacia. The homeland of this plant is distant Australia, where it blooms in late summer (in the southern hemisphere), in the subtropics of the northern hemisphere in February-March. This is an evergreen tree with beautiful, slightly pubescent, silvery openwork leaves (hence the name). Its height reaches 45 meters!
Blooming silver acacia in Abkhazia. Photo from the site
In our country, silver acacia grows in the Sochi region, on the coastal lowlands, without rising above 400 meters in the mountains. Closer to the border with Abkhazia, in some places it forms wild thickets. But it grows most luxuriantly in Georgia, in Adjara - near Kobuleti and Batumi, since the climate there is even warmer and more humid. The height of acacia on the Black Sea coast is up to 10-12 meters.
Blooming silver acacia tree. Photo from the site
Silver acacia is a very thermophilic plant, temperatures below -5 -8 degrees are considered critical, even at temperatures below -8 degrees the tree freezes to the level of snow cover and is restored next year with shoots. Therefore, in the same Sochi, it grows, basically, already closer to Adler.
As for mimosa, there is also such a plant.
Mimosa is bashful. Photo from the site
It is called bashful mimosa (when you touch the leaves, they fold, hence the name). It is a flowering perennial herb (the leaves are somewhat similar to the silver acacia), which comes from the tropical regions of South America. But it is introduced and grown in many countries of tropical Africa and North America, in Asia.
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Care
When growing outdoors, there is no need to worry about the soil. On one condition. The soil must be permeable. The secret to the survival of albition in the ground is planting after 3 years of cultivation in a container. This is a partially or completely woody plant that will survive the winter. Zone 7a and 7b. Potential open field risk in western area 6b. The top priority is a well-protected location.
For quite a long time after planting, keep the soil slightly moist, it will help the plant to take root well. A good root system increases your chances of survival in winter. For safety, you can dig in acacia at least 30 cm. The base of the embankment should be wide. It is assumed that the most important are the roots located on the circumference of the shadow that the crown of the tree casts during the southern hours. If the cold winter destroys the shoots above the embankment, the frozen parts of the acacia are removed in spring, new shoots with a high growth rate (up to 1 meter per year) will grow from the dormant buds under the embankment. The tree will make a shrub. A shrub for the winter is easier to protect than a small tree.
When grown in containers, the substrate is a permeable substrate. The cheapest baking powder is used - aquarium gravel. The smallest grain is acquired, mixed in half with the soil. Since even large pots are light, several large stones are placed on the bottom - previously well washed, there will be a drainage layer and a stabilizer.After transplanting, the potted medium is kept in a light moisture state during the growing of acacia. In case of poor permeability of the substrate, be careful with watering. It is not good to dry the ground, it is even worse to overmoisten. Lankaran acacia is exposed to diseases caused by waterlogging, a practically incurable disease called fusarium... Preparing the right substrate should not be underestimated. Since acacia grows quite quickly after 6-8 weeks, fertilizing is done. A universal fertilizer for potted plants is used. If albition buds are tied, they switch to fertilizers for flowering plants. Fertilization is limited in mid-September. First, half the dose is applied, from mid-October the plant is fertilized with half the dose, every month.
When growing Lankaran acacia on the street, they bring it into the room the night before the first frost. Indoors, albition is installed in the lightest place without direct sunlight during the daytime. Morning sun or afternoon sun will not hurt the plant.
Silk tree in landscape design
Winged spindle tree, Fortune, European and other species
The flowers and leaves of albicia are incredibly decorative, it is not surprising that the plant is often used in landscape design. The crown of the tree is not particularly dense, so under it you can grow various ornamental shrubs and light-loving flowers.
Note! Silk albitsia leaves retain their bright green hue until cold weather.
Bright colors of Albizia Lankaran
Reproduction
Propagated by sowing seeds. Seeds remain viable for a long time. The main prerequisite is a suitable sowing substrate. The substrate cannot be rich in fertilizers; the plant must create a reliable root system with the appropriate effort. The soil for flowers is full of pathogens, the seeds often germinate well, and 10 cm seedlings begin to fall - fusarium or black leg. A specially prepared substrate is used for sowing. In the spring, it is not difficult to buy a substrate called "sown land».
The seeds are due to the hard shell, you need to prepare. Sometimes it is enough to put the seeds in warm water, put them on the battery for a day. Some seeds will need a second day. You can help by using sandpaper. The seeds are sown one at a time in small pots. Seedlings do not tolerate transplanting because of the long root, they can be broken, it is better to sow one at a time.
Better not to sow for the winter. Seedlings require good lighting.
Difficulties in growing Albizia
If you overmoisten or dry out the soil, the plant will begin to throw off the leaves. If you notice that Albizia has sluggish and dull leaves, it's time to pay attention to the watering regime. This problem can also be when the plant is planted in heavy soil.
When such a problem was discovered, the plant is transplanted at any time of the year into a suitable soil. If the leaves of Albizia turn brown and curl at the ends, this indicates that the air in the room is very dry or you are not watering the tree much.
At the moment of the beginning of the period of bud formation and flowering, Albizia needs abundant watering. If there is not enough water, the buds will begin to dry and fall off. Dark spots on the leaves of Albizia indicate that the plant is standing in a draft or that it is cold.
Albitsia needs lighting. When there is little light, its leaves will be pale and lose their color. When your tree has stood in the shade for a long time, then it is gradually taught to bright lighting. The sudden abundance of light can be harmful to the plant.
Growing Albizia will not take long. At the same time, it will become a worthy decoration for your site or greenhouse.
Interesting Facts
If sophora seeds get into the flour, then it becomes very poisonous. The plant is considered a rather dangerous and harmful weed.In Japan and China, Japanese Sophora was considered a coloring plant, since the color of its buds gave a beautiful yellow tint to the fabrics. But the entire spectrum of substances that make up Sophora has not yet been fully studied, and thoughtless use can greatly harm, than benefit.
It is interesting that the sophora reacts very well to the change of time of day - with the arrival of evening time, the plant lowers its leaf blades, and as soon as morning comes, it dissolves them again.
Types of Sophora
- Sophora foxtail (ordinary) (Sophora alopecuroides).
It is a herbaceous perennial, all parts of which are covered with delicate pressed hairs. The plant reaches a height of 10–12 cm and is distinguished by egg-like leaf plates. They usually grow in the range of 10-12 pairs. This variety is grown to obtain pachycarpine, which is actively used in medicine to improve the function of muscle tissue and increase its tone. It is often taken with weak labor and its advantage is that it does not affect blood pressure indicators at all. - Sophora yellowish (yellowing) (Sophora flavescens).
Also in some literary sources it is called the narrow-leaved sophora. It is a perennial that grows as a herbaceous plant with good branching and an upright stem. It can grow in height just over half a meter. The leaf plates are distinguished by an ellipse-like shape, on the upper side they are of a deep green hue, and the back is casted with a bluish color and is completely covered with hairs. When flowering, a dense racemose inflorescence appears on the tops of the shoots, consisting of pale yellow flowers. In this variety, rhizomes or seeds are used for medical purposes, in which there are many alkaloids, fatty oils and organic acids, as well as flavonoids. Helps in stabilizing nervous disorders, pain syndromes, insomnia, etc. - Sophora thick-fruited (Sophora pachycarpa).
The plant is a herbaceous form of perennial, which has a fairly branched and powerful rhizome. The height of this variety can vary from 30 to 60 cm. In relation to other varieties of sophora, the stems of this species are very branchy - they begin their development almost from the very base. Flowering occurs in a creamy shade of flowers, from which spike-shaped inflorescences are collected, which are mainly located on the tops of the stems. The main growing regions of the desert or semi-desert, which are located in the Central Asian territories and also in Kazakhstan. In the treatment, all parts of this Sophora are applied, as described above. - Japanese Sophora (Sophora japonica).
Sometimes it is called the Crimean Sophora. This plant is a tree that successfully grows in the southern regions of eastern Siberia, the Caucasus, the Crimea, Sakhalin and the Amur region. It will take about 30 years for this type of sophora to bloom after it has been planted. The plant tolerates dry periods very well, can grow well in direct sunlight and is salt tolerant. The tree can reach a height of 25 meters, but in the conditions of the Russian strip its height will be only 10-15 m. The entire trunk of the sophora is covered with deep-looking cracks, the bark takes on dark gray shades. When the branches of the tree are still young, their color is gray-greenish and their entire surface is covered with hairs. Blossoming occurs in small flowers with a rich fragrant aroma. Their size rarely exceeds 1 cm and rather large long inflorescences are collected from them, which are located at the tops of the branches.
Japanese sophora is used, like other species, actively for medicinal purposes, but its spectrum of action is more extensive. It is used for more serious skin diseases, against burns and restores the capillary system.However, it must be used with great care and only after a doctor's recommendation.
This plant is also used by landscape designers for landscaping gardens and alleys. It can coexist with white acacia or ailant, but other plants clog it.
About cleaning blood vessels with Japanese Sophora in this video:
