ALBIZZIA LEBBEK. (Nat. ord. LeguminosEe, Sub-order Mimosese, Tribe Ingese.) 



ALBIZZIA. (Durazzini.) Gen- PI. 1. p. 596. — GEN. CHAR. Flowers pentamerous hermathrodite or rarely polgamous, calyx catnpanulate 

 or tubular toothed or shortly lobate, eorol infundibuliform, petals connate to beyond the middle, valvate stamens indefinite, usually numerous and long, 

 united in a tube at the base, anthers small, legume broadly linear or oblong flat, thin indehiscent or opening in 2 valves, continuous within, valve3 not 

 elastic or contorted, seed ovate or orbicular compressed, fuuicle filiform. Uuarmed trees or shrubs, leaves bipiunate with a gland on the petiole below the 

 pinna; and others between some or all the pinna; and leaflets, flowers in globular heads or rarely cylindrical spikes usually hermathrodite, the stamens 

 usually white or pink, rarely yellow, much longer than in Acacia. This genus differs from Acacia chiefly in the stamens being united into a tube instead of 

 being free or nearly free at the base, and also in its much longer stamens. 



ALBIZZIA IjEBBEK. (Benth.) A large tree, trunk generally short, bark ash-colored, young branches flexuose glabrous, 

 leaves about the ends of the branchlets, bipinnate, about a span long, pinna; 1-4 pair (sometimes the lower pairs are somewhat alternate) 

 ■with a large gland a little below the base of the petiole, leaflets opposite, 4-9 pair oval obtuse or retuse unequal glabrous, about an inch 

 and a half long and three-fourths broad, with often 1-2 small glands near the base of the partial petioles, and small ones between the 

 leaflets, but their presence and number is always uucertain, except those near the base; peduncles axillary 1-4 together, each bearing a 

 globular head of shortly pedicelled, white fragraut flowers, calyx long tubular, petals 5 united to beyond the calyx, stamens very 

 long numerous monadelphous, legume leafy, thin fiat broadly linear from 6 to 12 inches long by 1 to 2 broad, remotely 8-10 seeded 

 indehiscent. Benth. in Hook. Journ. Bot. iii. 87. Acacia Lebbek, Willd, D. C. Prod. ii. 466. Acacia epeciosa, Willi, D. C. Prod, 

 ii. 467. Mimosa serissa, Roxb. Fl. Ind. ii. 544. Albizzia latifolia, Boivin. Encyc. 



This tree is common in every part of India, and in Birmah and Ceylon ; it is better known wider the name of Acacia or Albizzia 

 speciosa, and was long supposed to be distract as a species from Lebbek, it grows to about 50 feet high, with a trunk up to 8 and rarely 12 feel in 

 girth ; it flowers in the hot weather, and the seeds ripen in the rains. It. is generally nearly destitute of leaves in the cold season, and it has an 

 extensive but thin head, it grows in almost all soils and situations. It is called Siris in Einduslanee (and is generally known by this name to 

 Europeans), Dirasan and Pedda duchirram in Teligoo, Vdghe and Kai Vaghe in Tamil, and Sit in Birmah. When s asoned the timber weighs 50 

 lbs. thecubicfoot and has a specific gravity of "800, it is hard and durable, of a light reddish brown color, with darker veins, and it is not liable 

 to uiarp or crack. It is used for agreat variety of purposes, naves of whee's, pestles and mortars, picture frames, furniture, parts of boats^ 

 &c, and the heartwood makes good charcoal. A gum very similar to Gum Arabic exudes from the trunk, and the leaves and twigs are gqod_ 

 foddei , the seed is officinal, it is easily raised from seed, and is of very rapid growth, and grows well from cuttings, poles stuck in the ground 

 rooting readily, its branches are brittle and suffer in localities exposed to the wind. 



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