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Albizia lebbeck

(L.) Benth. (1844)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Albizia

‘ohai (Ni‘ihau via St. John), siris tree, white monkeypod, woman's tongue

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Trees up to 25 m tall.

Stems:

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves compound (bipinnate). Alternate. Blades with 2–3 pairs of pinnae, leaflets 3–6 pairs per pinna. leaflets with usually 2 nectaries per rachis, one of them ca. 15 mm above the basal pulvinus and the other between the basal or upper pair of pinnae. leaflets 15–50 mm long, 9–35 mm wide, the midrib median or nearly so. Blades with nectaries on rachises. Apex rounded or truncate. Leaflet margins entire. Petioles with nectaries. Stipules inconspicuous.

Flowers: Flowers in corymbiform heads 15–20 mm in diameter (excl. stamens), these pedunculate, 1–2(3) peduncles together in the leaf axils. Flowers usually dimorphic within each head with a central larger flower that is probably functionally staminate, surrounded by smaller perfect flowers, bracteoles absent. Flowers mimosaceous, 6–8 mm long (central one larger). Calyx (4)5-lobed. Corolla white or pale green, funnelform or campanulate, (4)5(6)-lobed. Stamens more than 15; filaments connate up to ½ their length, exserted, up to 25 mm long. Ovary superior.

Fruit: Pods flat; 20–35 cm long; 3–4 cm wide; tardily dehiscent. Seeds several; ellipsoid; ca. 10 mm long; 6–7 mm in diameter; laterally flattened; distinctly median (remote from sutures); with a pleurogram ca. 5 mm long and 2 mm wide.

Ploidy: 2n = 26

Habitat: Naturalized in disturbed areas.

Elevation Range: Low elevations.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Ni'ihau(Incl. Lehua) Naturalized
Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Not in flora

Dispersal Agents

Forestry

Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Alyssa Larson
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • disturbed areas on Midway Atoll, Ni'ihau, Kaua'i, O'ahu, and Hawai'i
  • low elevation
  • on O'ahu in 1864-1865

Bibliography

Name Published In: London J. Bot. 3: 87 (1844)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:644 (Mi, Ni, K, O, H); Oppenheimer & Bartlett 2002:7 (WM); Staples & Herbst 2005:298 (KEY), 330 (DESCR); Oppenheimer 2007:23 (EM); Oppenheimer 2008:28 (Mo); Faccenda, Arthur, et al. 2025:178 (remove Mi, H [no evidence of nat.])

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Albizia lebbeck Hanalei, roadside Preserved_Specimen Trees, 30 ft. by 2 ft. St.John, H. 11010 Kauai BISH 1931-01-04
2 Albizia lebbeck Hilo HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 3/26/2017
3 Albizia lebbeck Hilo HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 3/22/2005
4 Albizia lebbeck Pearl Harbor, front of St. George's Episcopal Church Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. Oahu BISH 1985-03-02
5 Albizia lebbeck Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 12647 Oahu BISH 1916-01-01
6 Albizia lebbeck Oahu Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1953-09-07
7 Albizia lebbeck Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-01-20
8 Albizia lebbeck Kaneohe, Coral Gardens vacent lot Preserved_Specimen tree; leaf 5 -pinnae on each side Hitchcock, A.S. 13910 Oahu BISH 1916-06-29
9 Albizia lebbeck W Maui, Lahaina District, Puunoa, S of Kahoma Stream In a vacant lot of several acres. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 70060 Maui BISH 2000-07-07
10 Albizia lebbeck Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1943-01-20
11 Albizia lebbeck Manoa Preserved_Specimen Forbes, A. Oahu BISH 1930-08-06
12 Albizia lebbeck Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Goolsby, W.C. Oahu BISH 1943-01-01
13 Albizia lebbeck Manoa Preserved_Specimen Forbes, A. Oahu BISH 1930-08-06
14 Albizia lebbeck unknown Preserved_Specimen Mann, H. 396 BISH 1864-01-01
15 Albizia lebbeck W Maui, Wailuku, Happy Valley Residential area bordering disturbed dry lowland forest. Side of rd. Associated vegetation: Carmona retusa, Schefflera actinophylla, Ficus microcarpa. Preserved_Specimen Tree >6m ht. Starr, F. 102201 Maui BISH 2001-02-20
16 Albizia lebbeck along southern shore, S of Gilbert uplifted coral reef in rocks Preserved_Specimen small dwarfed tree Harris, J.A. 242137 Oahu BISH 1924-08-25
17 Albizia lebbeck S side of Waikolu Gulch On steep slope in pasture, near unpaved road. Preserved_Specimen Single tree. Oppenheimer, H.L. 110713 Molokai BISH 2007-11-07
18 Albizia lebbeck Hanalei, roadside Preserved_Specimen Trees, 30 ft. by 2 ft. St.John, H. 11010 Kauai BISH 1931-01-04
19 Albizia lebbeck Koloa, W of Poipu Rd., Kukuiula Development, cave site 1914 Panicum maximum, Leucaena leucocephala, Cereus uruguayanus, Ficus microcarpa, Phymatosorus grossus, Rivina humilis, Mirabilis jalapa Preserved_Specimen 4 m tree; trunk gray brown; moderately branched; long stamens white at base; greenish yellow at tips; pendent fruit pods light brown, dark brown spotting; leaves medium green Wood, K.R. 11356 Kauai BISH 2005-05-17
20 Albizia lebbeck Moloaa. Koolau Rd. Along roadside Scrub forest. Occasional patches of Wikstoremia uva-ursi but dominated by exotic trees Preserved_Specimen Tree, 8 m tall. Yellow flowers, pinnate leaves Trauernicht, C. 221 Kauai BISH 2008-10-23
21 Albizia lebbeck W Maui, Lahaina District, Kuia Growing in rockpile on side of dirt rd in old sugarcane field. Preserved_Specimen Oppenheimer, H.L. 40109 Maui BISH 2001-04-08
22 Albizia lebbeck Near Kaneohe roadside Preserved_Specimen Leaves 1-2 prs. of pinnae, leaflets 3-4 prs. Fls. creamy-yellow, no pods. Neal, M.C. Oahu BISH 1959-05-05
23 Albizia lebbeck In front of St. George's Episcopal Church, Pearl Harbor One of two planted trees. Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. Oahu BISH 1985-03-02
24 Albizia lebbeck Halulu Lake, dry hillside Preserved_Specimen Tree 7 m x 2 dm. Fl greenish. St.John, H. 22725 Niihau BISH 1947-08-12
25 Albizia lebbeck Makiki, Tantalus Trail Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 334 Oahu BISH 1920-03-21
26 Albizia lebbeck Honolulu Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 12824 Oahu BISH 1917-01-01
27 Albizia lebbeck Hilo HUMAN_OBSERVATION Friday, J.B. Hawaii 4/3/2003
28 Albizia lebbeck Makiki, Tantlus Trail Preserved_Specimen Garber, D.W. 334 Oahu BISH 1920-03-21
29 Albizia lebbeck East Maui, Hana District, Mikimiki ahupuaa, between Kaupo and Kipahulu Preserved_Specimen Trees; flowers greenish/yellow Oppenheimer, H.L. 100510 Maui BISH 2005-10-16
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