Fabaceae
Albizia

Albizia amara (Roxb.) Boivin

First published in P.-S.Laurentie & al., Encycl. Dix-Neuvième Siécle 2: 34 (1837)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to S. Africa, India, Sri Lanka. It is a tree and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, J.P.M. Brenan. Flora Zambesiaca 3:1. 1970

Morphology General Habit
Tree, rarely shrubby, 1·5-18 m. high, deciduous; crown rounded or flat; bark fissured, rough; young branchlets with rather short dense spreading grey to golden pubescence.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves: gland on upper side of petiole low, sessile, up to c. 0·25 mm. high; pinnae 4-46(56) pairs; leaflets 12-48 pairs, 2-5(7·5) x 0·5-1·5(2·5) mm., oblong-linear to linear, symmetric and obtuse or sometimes subacute at the apex, ± appressed-pubescent on one or both surfaces or on the margins only, glabrescent or not later; midrib nearly central (except at the base); lateral nerves not distinct beneath, rarely slightly raised.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or flushed-pink, subsessile or up to 1·5 mm. pedicellate; bracteoles very caducous, fallen by flowering time.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1-2 mm. long, puberulous or pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3·5-7 mm. long, puberulous or pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond the corolla; filaments c. 0·5-1·2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod apparently indehiscent, 10-28 x 2-5 cm., linear-oblong, puberulous over the surface, brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 8-13 x 7-8 mm., flattened.
[FZ]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Morphology General Habit
Tree or shrub, deciduous; bark rough; young branchlets with rather short dense spreading grey to golden pubescence
Morphology Leaves
Pinnae 4–46 pairs; leaflets 12–48 pairs, oblong to linear, 2–5(–7.5) x 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm, apex symmetrical and ± obtuse, ± appressed-pubescent on one or both sides or on margins only
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or flushed pink; pedicels up to 1.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1–2 mm long, puberulous or pubescent outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3.5–7 mm long, puberulous or pubescent outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond corolla; filaments c. 0.5–1.2 cm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong, 10–28 x 2–5 cm, puberulous, brown
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 8–13 x 7–8 mm.
Distribution
S1, 3 subsp. sericocephala (Benth.) Brenan in Eitrea, Ethiopia, Sudan and southwards to Transvaal.
Ecology
Altitude range c. 20–230 m.
Vernacular
Maraa, tugaar (Somali)
Note
All Somali material seen belongs to subsp. amara. This has 4–12(–16) pairs of pinnae, and 10–29 pairs of leaflets that are 3–7.5 x 0.75–1.5(–2) mm with lateral nerves often slightly raised beneath. Subsp. sericocephala has comparatively more pairs of pinnae and leaflets, and the leaflets are generally smaller and without raised lateral nerves beneath. It is known nearest from SE Ethiopia. Records of A. harveyi Fourn. from Somalia seem to be based on material of A. amara. True A. harveyi is known from Kenya southwards to Transvaal. It differs, e.g., in its ± falcate leaflets with an acute, asymmetrical apex.
[FSOM]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Sahel regional transition zone; bushland and thicket, Zanzibar-Inhambane regional transition zone ; woodland., Somalia-Masai wooded grasslands., Sudanian woodland, Zambezian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Shrub/Tree
Vernacular
Kaunthia, Oil Cake Tree, Seljhari, Thuringi, Usil Ujil, Uyil, Wienja
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Tree, rarely shrubby, 1.5–12(? 15) m. high, deciduous; crown rounded or flat; bark fissured, rough.
Morphology Branches
Young branchlets with rather short dense spreading grey to golden pubescence.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves:gland on upper side of petiole low, sessile, up to about 0.25 mm. high; pinnae 4–46 pairs; leaflets 12–48 pairs, oblong to linear, 2–5(–7.5) mm. long, 0.5–1.5(–2.5) mm. wide, symmetrical and obtuse or sometimes subacute at apex, ± appressed-pubescent on one or both sides or on margins only, glabrescent or not later; midrib nearly central (except at base); lateral nerves not distinct beneath, rarely slightly raised.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or flushed pink, subsessile or up to 1.5 mm. pedicellate; bracteoles very caducous, fallen by flowering time.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1–2 mm. long, puberulous or pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3.5–7 mm. long, puberulous or pubescent outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond corolla; filaments about 0.5–1.2 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong, 10–28 cm. long, 2–5 cm. wide, puberulous over surface, brown.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 8–13 mm. long, 7–8 mm. wide, flattened.
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/144281803/149043103

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Uses

Use
Environmental, Medicine, Wood
[ILDIS]

Common Names

unknown
jyree, whuil

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Art and Illustrations in Digifolia

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew

  • EBC Common Names

    • Common Names from Kew's Economic Botany Collection https://www.kew.org/science/collections-and-resources/collections/economic-botany-collection

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images