Albizia lebbeck and Albizia falcataria

Albizia lebbeck and Albizia falcataria

Bym.murugan(bsf-11-019)

Albizia lebbeck

Current name: Albizia lebbeck Authority: Benth.Family: Fabaceae – Mimosoideae(Tamil) : vagai, vagei(Trade name) : kokko(English) : acacia amarilla, East Indian walnut, English woman's tongue, fry wood, Indian siris, lebbeck, siris tree, woman’s tongue tree

Growth habitat and morphology

A. lebbeck is a dominant species in semi-evergreen vine forests (monsoon forest) in areas with a mean annual rainfall of 1300-1500 mm and a very dry winter. It is also found in semi-deciduous microphyll vine thicket on screes of quartz sandstone mountains. It can withstand long, hot, dry periods and cold winters.

Native : Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand Exotic : Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Central African Republic, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Nigeria, Panama, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (US), Zambia, Zimbabwe

site factors Altitude: 0-1800 m, Mean annual temperature: 19-35 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 500-2500 mm Soil type: Establishes well on fertile, well-drained loamy soils but poorly on heavy clays. Tolerates acidity, alkalinity, heavy and eroded soils, and waterlogged soils. Examples of soil types include, shallow sandy soils, laterite and loam laterite.

Phenology

Reproductive Biology A. lebbeck is hermaphroditic. In its natural habitat, flowering occurs from September to October; mature pods remain on the tree for long periods and are available May-July. In Sudan it flowers from March to May and fruits from May to August. Flowers are bisexual.

Botanic descriptionAlbizia lebbeck can attain a height of 30 m and a diameter of 1 m; more often it is 15-20 m tall with a diameter of 50 cm; bark grey-violet with rusty brown breathing pores, rough and fissured. Compound leaves bipinnate, glabrous or slightly hairy on the axis; pinnae in 2-4 pairs, each with 2-11 pairs of obliquely oblong leaflets 15-45 x 8-22 mm, shortly stalked; glabrous glands are raised, elliptic to circular, on the upper side of the stalk close to the base and between most pairs of leaflets. Flowers appear shortly after new leaves, are white, heavily scented, with the stamens free above the corolla, in heads 18-36 mm across excluding the stamens, on a stout stalk 5-7.5 cm long, appearing singly or in small clusters in the leaf axils and in terminal panicles;

stamens 30-40, yellowish-green on top side, white underside, up to 5 cm long; flower-stalks up to 5 mm long; corolla tube, 1 cm long. Pods pale straw to light brown at maturity, narrow-oblong, 15-26 x 3-5 cm, papery, leathery, flat and not raised or constricted between seeds; seeds brown, flat, orbicular or elliptic, 8-10 x 6-7 mm; transversely placed with 6-12 in each pod. The genus is named after Filippo del Albizzi, a Florentine nobleman who in 1749 introduced A. julibrissin into cultivation. The species name is from the Arabic name for this plant, ‘laebach’. When agitated by the wind, the pods and enclosed seeds are said to produce an incessant rattle likened to women’s chatter, hence the name ‘woman’s tongue’

Regeneration techniques Propagation methods It is best established using potted seedlings, although bare-rooted seedlings, direct seeding and stump cuttings have all been used successfully. Seed pretreatment involves scarification and immersion in boiling hot water then cooling and soaking for 24 hours, or acid treatment to break seed-coat dormancy. Germination improves after storage for 2-4 years, but satisfactory germination (50-60%) has been obtained from fresh seeds. Freshly collected seed has about 70% germination capacity after 1-2 months. About 880 pods weigh 1 kg and will yield about 300 g of seed

Tree Management A. lebbeck coppices well, responds to pollarding, pruning and lopping, and will produce root suckers if the roots are exposed. Typical spacing is 3 x 3 m for fuelwood, and 5 x 5 m for timber. Fuelwood plantations spaced at 3 x 3 m clear felled on a 10-year rotation produce about 50 cubic m/ha of stacked fuelwood. In Queensland A. lebbek reaches about 11 m in height and 50 cm dbh in 30 years. The trees are vulnerable to strong winds and are killed by even light fires

Pest and diseases Root rot, stem cankers, heart rot, spot fungi and rust can damage the tree, as well as a wide range of insect pests, including leaf- and bark-feeding caterpillars, sap suckers, wood and seed borers and defoliators such as psyllids. In Nigeria ,the striped mealy bug, Ferrisia virgata, harms the tree

Economic Importance Fodder: A. lebbeck is grown in some areas primarily as fodder for camels, water buffalo and cattle. The leaves are reported to be good fodder, with 17-26% crude protein; 100 kg of leaves yield 11-12 kg of digestible protein, and 37 kg of digestible carbohydrates. The pods contain saponin and are not eaten in large amounts by sheep, although cattle eat them readily. Apiculture: Its whitish flowers are fragrant, attracting bees. Highly regarded by bee-keepers for the light-coloured honey its nectar provides. Fuel: An excellent fuelwod species with a calorific value of 5200 kcal/g. A. amara fruits can yield 10 barrels of ethanol per hectare

Timber: Sapwood is pale; heartwood is dark brown with black streaks and very decorative. It is moderately heavy and hard, strong and fairly durable, with a specific gravity of 0.5-0.6 kg/cubic m. The wood seasons well, works and polishes easily, can be used for interior moulding, parquet, furniture, panelling, turnery and general construction. It is also used for making agricultural implements and mine props. Timber plantations in India clear felled after 25-30 years yield about 10-12 cubic m/ha per year of timber, but under semi-arid conditions and on shallow soils, a mean increment of 2-3 cubic m/ha is obtained.

Gum or resin: The trunk yields a reddish gum that is used as an adulterant of gum arabic. Tannin or dyestuff: The bark is used locally in India for tanning fishing nets (tannin content of 7-11%). Medicine: Leaves and seeds are used for eye problems, and the bark to treat boils. Saponin from pods and roots has spermicidal activity. Other products: When dried and pounded, the bark can be used for soap.

Albizia falcataria

Current name: Paraserianthes falcatariaAuthority: (L.) NielsenFamily: Fabaceae – Mimosoideae(English) : albizia, batai, Indonesian albizia, moluca, paraserianthes, peacock plume, white albizia(Trade name) : batai

Geographical distribution A pioneer species, P. falcataria occurs in primary but more characteristically in secondary lowland rainforest and in light montane forest, grassy plains and along roadsides near the sea. It is adapted to peri-humid and monsoonal climates with a dry season of up to 2 (4 max.) months. It is sensitive to fire and easily damaged by strong wind. In natural stands in Irian Jaya, P. falcataria is associated with species such as Agathis labillardieri, Celtis spp., Diospyros spp., Pterocarpus indicus, Terminalia spp. and Toona sureni.

State wise data

Native : Haiti, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon IslandsExotic : Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, New Caledonia, Norfolk Island, Philippines, Samoa, Thailand, Tonga, United States of America, Vanuatu, Vietnam

Site factors Altitude: 0-1 200 m, Mean annual temperature: 22-29 deg. C, Mean annual rainfall: 2 000-4 000 mm. averaging 2800 mm Soil type: Deep, well drained fertile soils, such as friable clay loam. Prefers alkaline to acid soils.

phenology

Trees may flower as early as 3 years. Two flowering periods per year have been observed in Peninsula Malaysia and Sabah. Ripe pods appear approximately 2 months after flowering. The pods dehisce when ripe, often when still attached to the tree, scattering the seeds on the ground

Regeneration techniques P. falcataria requires great amounts of light

and regenerates naturally only when the soil is exposed to sunlight. In the forest, wildings sprout in abundance only when the canopy is open and when soil is cleared from the undergrowth.

Wildings can be successfully collected and potted for planting but are delicate and must be carefully handled. The species can be planted from seedlings, direct seeding or stump cuttings.

Small seeds are difficult to collect from the ground and are usually collected by cutting down branches bearing ripe, brown pods.

Untreated seeds germinate irregularly; germination may start after 5-10 days but is sometimes delayed for up to 4 weeks. To hasten and ensure uniform germination, soak in boiling water for 1-3 minutes or immerse in concentrated sulphuric acid for 10 minutes followed by subsequent washing and soaking in water for 18 hours. Germination rates can be as high as 80% to almost 100%. Seeds of P. falcataria are usually sown by broadcasting, pressed gently into the soil and then covered by a layer of fine sand up to 1.5 cm thick. The soil in the seedbed must be loose and well drained; application of a surface layer of mulch is advisable, and excessive shading should be avoided.

Seedlings can be transplanted when they have reached a height of 20-25 cm with a woody stem and a good fibrous root system; this stage can be reached in 2-2.5 months. Container plants are often transplanted into the field when 4-5 months old. Seed tissue has been successfully used in the Philippines for propagation by tissue culture. Seedlings have epigeal germination.

Tree Management

P. falcataria grows so fast that it is sometimes called the ‘miracle tree’. It is even mentioned in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s fastest growing tree. On good sites it can attain a height of 7 m in just over a year. Trees reach a mean height of 25.5 m and a bole diameter of 17 cm after 6 years, 32.5 m high and 40.5 cm diameter after 9 years, 38 m high and 54 cm diameter after 12 years, and 39 m high and 63.5 cm diameter after 15 years. P. falcataria coppices although coppicing vigour is highly variable.

It has been found that growth at 2 x 2 m spacing is significantly faster than at 1 x 1 m. If sawn timber is desired, stands can be thinned to 6 x 6 m at 6-8 years and harvested at 15 years. P. falcataria is commonly used in agroforestry systems, usually in a cutting cycle of 10-15 years, in combination with annual crops in the 1st year and grazing animals in subsequent years. When planted, it can grow on comparatively poor sites and survive without fertilizer. However, it does not thrive in poorly drained, flooded or waterlogged soils

Growth of young trees in a phosphorous-deficient soil is promoted by inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi Gigaspora margarita and Glomus fasciculatum in combination with Rhizobium.

Nitrogen-fixing nodules containing leghaemoglobin are found on roots.

P. falcataria plantations should be kept weed free during the 1st few years.

Pests and diseases Nursery seedlings are susceptible to damping-off caused by fungi of Rhizoctonia, Sclerotium, Fusarium, Pythium and Phytophthora. Sterilizing the soil before sowing and applying fungicides to soil and seeds may control the disease. The fungus Corticum salmonicolor causes a disease known as pink canker or salmon canker. Light brown lesions appear on the bark of young trees, they gradually enlarge and develop cracks, the colour turns to pale salmon or pinkish, and mycelium mats appear around the lesions.

The disease may seriously damage plantations. Plantations can also suffer from other fungal diseases like red root caused by Ganoderma pseudoferrum. An anthracnose seedling disease caused by Colletotrichum species has been observed in Sumatra. In 1988 and 1989, gall rust disease caused by Uromycladium tepprianum provoked severe damage in Bukidnon Province (Mindanao, the Philippines).

The government banned the transport of logs in and out of Bukidnon Province, and planting was suspended. Plantation pests in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines include stem borers such as the longicorn beetle Xystrocera festiva and the red borer Zeuzera coffea (a cossid moth). Leaf-eating caterpillars (e.g. Eurema blanda, E. hecabe and Semiothesa emersaria) may attack seedlings and trees. Aphids have on occasion been a problem. Insecticides are commonly used in controlling these pests. The small bagworm Pteroma plagiophleps is a serious pest in Sumatra.

Fodder: An activated tree metabolism at the beginning of the wet season synthesizes a complex polysaccharide that increases palatability for cattle of the bark. Leaves are used to feed chickens and goats. Fuel: Widely used for fuelwood and charcoal production in spite of its low density and energy value. Fibre: P. falcataria trees coppice fairly well, an advantage for pulpwood production. The wood is suitable for pulping and papermaking

Economic importance

It can be used to produce good-quality pulp by mechanical, semi-chemical or chemical processes. Because of its light colour, only a little bleaching is required to achieve good white paper. The neutral, semi-chemical process produces pulp with excellent strength properties. It has also been used for the manufacture of viscose rayon. Timber: The comparatively soft timber is suitable for general utility purposes, such as light construction, furniture, cabinet work, lightweight packing materials and pallets, and chopsticks. Because the wood is fairly easy to cut, P. falcataria is also suitable for wooden shoes, musical instruments, toys and novelties, forms and general turnery.

P. falcataria is an important source of veneer and plywood and is very suitable for the manufacture of particleboard, wood-wool board and hardboard and has recently been used for blockboard. Tannin or dyestuff: The bark of P. falcataria has tanning properties.

Germplasm ManagementSeed storage behaviour is orthodox. There is no loss in viability during 1.5 years in air-dry storage at 4-8 deg. C. For storage, seeds are air dried for 24 hours and then packed in polythene bags. When stored at 4-8 deg. C, the germination rate after 18 months may still be 70-90%. There are 38 000-44 000 seeds/kg

Reference• www.fao.org

• www.worldagroforestry.com