Fabaceae
Albizia

Albizia zimmermannii Harms

First published in Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 53: 455 (1915)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is E. & S. Tropical Africa. 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 6-15 m. high; crown flat, spreading; bark smooth, finely fissured, grey to grey-brown; young branchlets sparsely to densely rusty-puberulous or -pubescent, sometimes nearly glabrous; indumentum going grey with age.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves: rhachis clothed like the branchlets, not hooked or clawed at the end; pinnae 3-6(10) pairs; leaflets 8-17 pairs, 7-15(17) x (3)4-8 mm., rounded at apex, oblong-elliptic, slightly oblique, beneath paler, ± glaucous and appressed-puberulous (occasionally glabrous or nearly so).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Heads often aggregated on short leafless branches; pedicels 0-1 mm. long; bracteoles very minute, but sometimes present when the flowers open.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white or pink.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1-2·5 mm. long, densely rusty-puberulous outside, not slit unilaterally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3·5-5 mm. long, densely rusty-puberulous outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond the corolla; filaments 0·7-1·3 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod apparently indehiscent, 15-32 x (3)3·8-7 cm., oblong, ± puberulous, crimson near maturity, turning brown with age, typically (though apparently not in our area) with very prominent transverse veins much raised, particularly in the centre, sometimes almost wing-like, and anastomosing.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds c. 10 x 7 mm., flattened.
[FZ]

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]

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

Morphology General Habit
Tree 6–15 m. high; crown flat, spreading; bark smooth, finely fissured, grey-brown.
Morphology Branches
Young branchlets sparsely to densely rusty-puberulous or -pubescent, sometimes nearly glabrous.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves:rhachis clothed like young branchlets, not hooked or clawed at end; pinnae 3–6 (rarely to 10) pairs; leaflets 8–17 pairs, oblong-elliptic, slightly oblique, 7–15 mm. long, (3–) 4–8 mm. wide, rounded at apex, beneath paler, ± glaucous and appressed-puberulous (occasionally glabrous or nearly so).
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Heads often aggregated on short leafless branchlets; pedicels 0–1 mm. long; bracteoles very minute, but sometimes present when the flowers open.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers white and pink.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 1–2.5 mm. long, densely rusty-puberulous outside, not slit unilaterally.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla 3.5–5 mm. long, densely rusty-puberulous outside.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Staminal tube not or scarcely exserted beyond corolla; filaments 0.7–1.3 cm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod oblong, 15–32 cm. long, 3.8–7 cm. wide, ± densely rusty-puberulous, crimson near maturity, turning brown with age (Greenway), normally with very prominent transverse veins much raised, particularly in centre, sometimes almost wing-like, and anastomosing.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds about 10 mm. long and 7 mm. wide, flattened.
Habitat
Riverine forest, secondary bush near lowland rain-forest, and evergreen or semi-evergreen bushland; 580–1130 m.
Distribution
specimens apparently referable to this species also from Nyasaland, Portuguese East Africa and Southern Rhodesia K7 T2 T3 T5 T6
[FTEA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Somalia-Masai forest, Zambezian bushland and thicket, Zambezian woodland
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Tree
[ILDIS]

Mimosaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Note
The specimen in Chevalier’s herbarium is a barren leafy shoot
Morphology Leaves
Pinnae 4–5 pairs; rhachis pubescent with a fleshy gland near the base; leaflets 5–10 pairs, subequal, oblong, apiculate, 2·5–4·5 cm. long, 1–2 cm. broad, pubescent mainly on the midrib below.
[FWTA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

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

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • 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

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical 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/

  • 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