Greening - Tree Labels with QR Codes (45)

Lebbeck Tree

Scientific Name : Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth.
Common Name : Lebbeck Tree
Chinese Name : 大葉合歡, 闊莢合歡
Family : MIMOSACEAE
Local distribution status : Exotic species

Anecdotes on plants

Origins	Tropical regions of Africa.
Applications	Lebbeck Tree has a relatively broad crown, providing shade during hot summers. It has a comparatively long flowering period that lasts from the beginning till the end of summer, producing slight fragrance when blossoming. Therefore, the species is widely cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions as street trees and ornamental trees. Being shiny, striped, hard and resistant to decay, its timber and can be processed into furniture and construction materials. Its leaves can be applied as stock feed.
Toxicity	Legumes and seeds of Lebbeck Tree are poisonous as they contain saponins. Over consumption will irritate the gastrointestinal tract, causing symptoms of poisoning such as vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Ecology	Lebbeck Tree is the food plant of the larva of Polyura athamas athamas (Drury, 1770). It is also a nectar source which benefits the biodiversity of urban forestry.

Traits for identification

Growing habit	Deciduous tree.
Height	To 12 m.
Stems	Bark of trunk brown, rough.
Leaves	Evenly bipinnate, pinnae 2 to 4 pairs, with 4 to 8 pairs of leaflets on each pinna. Leaflets narrowly elliptic, or slightly oblique, apex obtuse or retuse.
Flowers	Yellowish green, fragrant. About 30 to 40 flowers on each inflorescence. Stamens many, exserted from corolla. Filaments yellowish green at upper portion, white at base. The morphology of inflorescence is like a green-and-white pompom with long hair.
Fruits	Legume straw-brown, ligulate, flatten, shiny, with 4 to 12 seeds. Can remain on branchlets long after ripening.
Seeds	Elliptic, brown.
Flowering period	May to September in Hong Kong.
Fruiting period	October to May in Hong Kong.

Overview of <em>Albizia lebbeck</em> (L.) Benth.

Trunk of <em>Albizia lebbeck</em> (L.) Benth.

Evenly bipinnate, pinnae 2 to 4 pairs, with 4 to 8 pairs of leaflets on each pinna.

Yellowish green, fragrant. Stamens many, exserted from corolla. Filaments yellowish green at upper portion, white at base. The morphology of inflorescence is like a green-and-white pompom with long hairs. It attracts insects to collect nectars when it blossoms.

Legume straw-brown, ligulate, flatten, shiny.

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Remarks

Scientific name above is based on Hong Kong Herbarium website : https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/en/hk-plant-database/plant-detail/index.html?pType=species&oID=3022

Scientific names from other databases
― Flora of China : Albizia lebbeck (Linnaeus) Bentham
― Plants of the World Online : Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth.

Reference

Ades, G. W. J. & Kendrick, R. C. (2004). Hong Kong Fauna: A Checklist of Selected Taxa. Fauna Conservation Department, Kadoorie Farm & Botanic Garden Corporation, Hong Kong.
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). (2018). A Photographic Guide to Common Urban Trees of Hong Kong. 3^rd edition. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Hong Kong. ISBN: 978-988-12021-3-0.
Beentjie, H. (2016). The Kew Plant Glossary. 2^nd edition, 1^st in 2012. Kew Publishing, Royal Botanical Garden, Surrey, U.K. ISBN: 978-1-84246-604-9.
eFloras. (2008). Albizia lebbeck (Linnaeus) Bentham. Flora of China. [Online Edition]. Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA. Retrieved 25^th May 2020, from: http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=200011877
Hong Kong Herbarium, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department & South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. (2007-2011). Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. 大葉合歡. Flora of Hong Kong. [Online Edition]. Retrieved 25^th May 2020, from: https://www.herbarium.gov.hk/FloraOfHK/Species/3022/3022_S_E.pdf
Lau, C. S. K. (2019). Checklist of Insects of Hong Kong. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. ISBN: 978-988-12022-9-1.
Mak, W. L., Lam, Y. H., Ching, C. K., Chan, S. S., Chong, Y. K., Ng, W. Y. (2018). Albizia lebbeck 大葉合歡. Atlas of poisonous plants in Hong Kong: A CLINICAL TOXICOLOGY PERSPECTIVE. [Online Edition]. Hospital Authority Toxicology Reference Laboratory, Hong Kong. Retrieved 25^th Month 2020, from: https://www3.ha.org.hk/toxicplant/en/albizia_lebbeck.html
Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium. (2020). Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. 大葉合歡. Factsheet. Taxonomical Archive System. Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Native Plant Resources and Database in Hong Kong. Retrieved 25^th May 2020, from: http://syhuherbarium.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/collections/factsheet/albizia-lebbeck/
Shiu-Ying Hu Herbarium. (2020). Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. 大葉合歡. Pro-Factsheet. Taxonomical Archive System. Wu Jieh Yee Charitable Foundation Native Plant Resources and Database in Hong Kong. Retrieved 25^th May 2020, from: http://syhuherbarium.sls.cuhk.edu.hk/collections/factsheet-pro/albizia-lebbeck/
中國科學院植物誌編輯委員會。（1959-2004）。〈闊莢合歡Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth〉。《中國植物誌》。[網上版本]。於2020年5月25日擷取自 : http://www.iplant.cn/info/Albizia%20lebbeck?t=z
潘瑞輝。（2015）。《鳳園生態系列 — 香港觀蝶手冊進階篇》。香港 : 環保協進會，鳳園蝴蝶保育區。國際標準書號 : 978-988-15272-1-9。
陳冀勝、鄭碩。（1987）。《中國有毒植物》。北京 : 科學出版社。