Chinese albizia (Albizia chinensis)

Sengon or Chinese albizia (Albizia chinensis) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, shade and wood-producing tree, deciduous, 30-45 m high, 70-140 cm in diameter, slightly smooth bark, dark gray with transverse teeth, lenticels, thin, faceted and hairy young branches.

A. chinensis has compound leaves, multiple pinnate and 4-14 pairs of fins. The main leaf bone is 10-25 cm long, hairy with glands near the base of the petiole and at the junction of the fin bones. The cusps are large, ovate with a heart-shaped base, like a membrane with a tail at the end.

The leaf fins are 4-14 cm long with 10-45 leaflets per fin, sitting and facing each other. Leaflets are elongated to form a line with a pointed tip, oblique, blue green underside, 6-13 mm long, 1.5-4 mm wide, the middle leaf bone is very close to the top edge.

Compound flowers, hump-shaped, stemmed, collected again into panicles with a length of 15-30 cm. The hump has 10-20 buds. Toothed petals, 4 mm high and hairy. The crown tube is funnel-shaped, yellow-green, 7 mm high and hairy. Stamens numbered 10 or more, 3 cm long, white, top green, base fused to form a tube, approximately as high as the crown.

The pod-shaped fruit is 10-18 cm long, 2-3.5 cm wide, does not open, breaks irregularly. Seeds are flat, oblong, 7 mm long and 4-5 mm wide.

Sengon is found naturally in mixed deciduous forests in humid and sunny areas with rainfall of 1000-5000 mm/year. This tree is also found in secondary forests, along river banks and savannas up to an elevation of 1800 meters. Sengon is well adapted to poor, high pH or saline soils in lateritic and sandy alluvial soils.

Chinese albizia produces light wood with a density of 320-640 kg/m³ at a moisture content of 15%. The texture is a bit dense, straight fibrous and a bit rough, but easy to work with. The heartwood is glossy yellow to brown-red-ivory. Strength in class III–IV and durability in class III–IV.

Wood is used to make crates, boats, house potions and bridges. Often planted in coffee and tea plantations, parks, gardens and roadsides as shade. This tree is also planted to protect slopes and improve soil. Roots are nitrogen fixing.
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Mimosoideae
Tribe: Ingeae
Genus: Albizia
Species: Albizia chinensis

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