Albizia procera - श्‍वेत शिरीष

[J.M. Garg]

Below given is a request from Swagat ji in a different thread. May I request members to post pictures, details etc. for discussion.

 

"Hi all,

I have heard about some other species also....

...........
2) Albizia mollis - लाल शिरीष
...........

Would like to know more about it.

Regards,
~Swagat


--
With regards,
J.M.Garg
"We often ignore the beauty around us"
Creating Awareness about Indian Flora & Fauna:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group (Indiantreepix) http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en

[Anand Kumar Bhatt]

I am a little disturbed. What is the aim of this site? That one goes out with a digital camera anywhere, snaps  pictures of a some flowers, trees or bushes, and uploads them to the site for identification? Is our site only an identification parade?

At the same time it would be interesting to know whether there were the same number of requests for identification before the advent of DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY?

Take the case of Albizia. Wikipedia lists not less than 171 varieties of albizia. In addition there were 34 varieties which have now been shifted to other trees. Choose any three varieties adn ask info on this site_ well is the site acting as a research assistant? I am sorry if I am saying something which may not be liked by many of our friends. But what is the objective of this site? i.d and i.d. and i.d.??

Incidentaly albizia procera is tall albizia, probably very common in India, but the more common probably is albizia lebbeck (Kala siris). Kala and Safed is because of the colour of the bark.

Albizzia julibrissin (var. mollis?) which is also known as albizia mollis (lal siris) is pink siris or Persian silk tree. This has the speciality of tolerating very cold weather as well.

Albizia mollis syn. albizia odoratissima var. mollis is Ceylon Rosewood.

I dont know why MOLLIS is a variety of both albizia julibrissin and and albizia odoretissima. Maybe because of sililarity of flowers or bark?

But my favourite is the raintree (Albizia saman) with pink powder puff flowers and a spreading lovely crown. Whenever I stayed at Panaji Circuit House, I used to stare at the lovely raintree which   they had at the back of the building. I dont know whether it still survives there.

Sory for my outburst again.

Best wishes,
akbhatt

2009/3/29 J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>

--
Anand Kumar Bhatt
A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
Gwalior. 474 005.
Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
My blogsite is at:
http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
And the photo site:
www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/

[Swagat]

Thanks a lot Garg ji, Bhatt ji,

~Swagat

2009/3/29 Anand Kumar Bhatt <anand...@gmail.com>

--
'I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.' - Helen Keller

[sibdas]

Several mails on Albizia appeared in the last few days. It is the
flowering season of the Albizias, I would have liked to see some
photographs, particularly to distinguish one from the other. Some of
the species can be distiguished by the stem colour, but not always.
The common species which are found in India,
1. A. amara- have yellow fragrant flowers, a common avenue tree in S.
India
2. A. labbek- the desi siris, with spreading crown, beautiful pinkish
flowers, the colour is due to the coloured stamens. in most of the
Albizia sp. the petals are either absent or inconspicuous. Women folk
often use the flowers (cluster of flowers on a head, again each flower
has a cluster of coloured and long stamens, giving a silky appearnce-
often also known as silk plant.) to adore hair style and as ear
ornament.
3. A. stipulata- a common shade tree in Tea and Coffee plantation
4. A. procera- almost like labbek, known as safed siris- for whitish
bark
5. A. odoratissima- the black siris, often known as Fragrant Albizia,
a common host of lac insects.
6. A. julibrissia- has two vars. A. julibrissis var. julibrissia- the
persian silk tree and A. julibrissia var. mollis or A. mollis- the red
or pink Albizia, the young stem is densely hairy , flowers light pink,
not so attractive as A. labbek.
7. A. saman or Samanea saman or Pithocelbium saman - the rain tree,
mostly with golden brown flowers, sometime pinkish. An Avenue tree and
shade tree, perhaps the most common of the species. All Albiziz
flowers attract a number of birds with pointed beaks, as flower
peckers, humming birds.

About two centuries back Alexander von Humboldt in his famous S.
America Expedition found a rain tree in Venezuela in which he took
much fascination, It had a crown with circumference slightly less than
two hundred meters, and he was told that the plant was 500 years old.
In Bengal village old labbek trees were once common, but they are
becoming rare now.

On Apr 1, 11:19 am, Swagat <swagat1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thanks a lot Garg ji, Bhatt ji,
>
> ~Swagat
>

> 2009/3/29 Anand Kumar Bhatt <anandkbh...@gmail.com>

> > 2009/3/29 J.M. Garg <jmga...@gmail.com>

>
> >> Below given is a request from Swagat ji in a different thread. May I
> >> request members to post pictures, details etc. for discussion.
>
> >> "Hi all,
>
> >> I have heard about some other species also....
> >> ...........
> >> 2) Albizia mollis - लाल शिरीष
> >> ...........
>
> >> Would like to know more about it.
>
> >> Regards,
> >> ~Swagat
>
> >> --
> >> With regards,
> >> J.M.Garg
> >> "We often ignore the beauty around us"
> >> Creating Awareness about Indian Flora & Fauna:
> >>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Jmgarg1
> >> For learning about our trees & plants, please visit/ join Google e-group

> >> (Indiantreepix)http://groups.google.co.in/group/indiantreepix?hl=en

>
> > --
> > Anand Kumar Bhatt
> > A-59, B.S.F.Colony, Airport Road
> > Gwalior. 474 005.
> > Tele: 0751-247 2233. Mobile 0 94253 09780.
> > My blogsite is at:
> >http://anandkbhatt.blogspot.com
> > And the photo site:
> >www.flickr.com/photos/akbhatt/
>
> --
> 'I am only one; but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can
> do something; I will not refuse to do the something I can do.' - Helen

> Keller- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[J.M. Garg]

Thanks, Sibdas ji,

For enlightening us about the various Albizia species in India & their differences.

I think flowers of  A. labbek- the desi siris should be greenish & not pinkish as stated above.

2009/4/1 sibdas <sibda...@gmail.com>

[J.M. Garg]

Here are some interesting observations along with attachment from Sibdas ji:

"Dear Gargji,
This is a point which disturbs me over the time. In my village I was very much attached to a desi siris plant of huge size, which I identified as lebbek.In interior villages of Bengal, you find plants mainly with pink flowers. In Cacutta you may find a number of siris wth greenish white flowers, often identified as lebbek. I have some doubt about their  identity. I am attaching a lebbek photo from web site, showing pinkish flowers. My botanist friend from  Jharkhand informs they have a number of lebbek plants , all with pink flowers. However, the possibility can not be denied there may be two different vaieties of lebbek. To add confusion rain tree has also two flower types."

If Sibdas ji sends a much bigger picture, may be we can find out something.

2009/4/2 J.M. Garg <jmg...@gmail.com>

[JM Garg]

  I think this image is of Albizia julibrissin Durazz as stamen colour is pink as per keys at Flora of China.  

[Sibdas Ghosh]

Noted with thanks.