Spotlight on species: Albizia lebbek
Spotlight on species: Albizia lebbek
Wasif Hussain Bokhari
ABSTRACT
Albizia iebbek (Siris) is a medium sized
fast growing tree, native in Asia which was
named after Albizzi, an Italian naturalist of the
18th Century (Parker, 1921). Its natural range
extends from latitudes 8° N to 32° N through
eastern Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Siri Lanka,
Burma, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Egypt.
There are extensive plantations of Siris in Nepal
and in central and southern India (NAS, 1983).
Siris is characterized by a spreading umbrella
shaped crown of thin foliage and bipinately
compound leaves. Its pods are conspicuous
during most of the year because they hang on
the tree long after they ripe and throughout the
hot weather when the tree is bare of leaves.
When rattled by hot winds, the pods sound like
frying fish; hence, the tree is known in West
Indies as the Fry wood.
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March 1992
Vol. 42, Iss. 1
