Siris Tree, Woman's Tongue, East Indian Walnut
Albizia lebbeck

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

Siris Tree (Woman's Tongue) Albizia lebbeck. Other common names include Indian walnut, lebbeck, lebbeck tree, flea tree, frywood, and koko. Siris Tree or Woman's Tongue Tree (Albizia lebbeck) belongs in the Fabaceae family that grows up to 15-30 m in height and 50 cm to 300 cm in trunk diameter. It has bipinnate leaves that are usually 7.5 - 15 cm long, with one to four pairs of pinnae and each pinna with 6 - 18 leaflets. It has very fragrant, white flowers with numerous stamens. The fruit is a pod containing 6 -12 seeds. The tree is used to produce timber and fuel, for forage, environmental management, and medicine. It is an astringent and used for coughs, boils, lung problems, flu, and gingivitis, among others. Its bark is used to treat inflammation and as fish poison. The red dye obtained from the bark, however, causes skin irritation. The leaves and seeds are used medicinally for treating ophthalmia and other eye problems. The seeds are powdered to treat scrofula. Siris tree is commonly used to provide shade for coffee and cocoa plantations. Edible parts are young tips when cooked or boiled. It has nitrogen-rich leaves that can be used as mulch and green manure. It has an extensive, fairly shallow root system thus can be a good soil binder and may be used to prevent soil erosion. Other Names: Chiali, Lebbeck, Lebbek, Thing-chawke.

Albizia lebbeck is a deciduous Tree growing to 15 m (49ft) by 15 m (49ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Bees, Insects. It can fix Nitrogen. It is noted for attracting wildlife. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils and can grow in very acid, very alkaline and saline soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant is not wind tolerant.

Height (m): 15

Where it is found

Tropical to subtropical sandy river beds and savannahs.

E. Asia - drier areas of the Indian subcontinent and southeastern Asia to northern Australia.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed.

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Africa, Asia, Australia, Bermuda, East Africa, Guiana, Guyana, India, Mozambique, Northeastern India, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, South America, Suriname, Thailand, Timor-Leste.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 1

Edible portion, Seeds, Leaves, Shoots. The young tips are cooked and eaten. They are boiled.

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The leaves and seeds are used in the treatment of eye problems such as ophthalmia. The bark is astringent It is taken internally to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and piles. The bark is used externally to treat boils. The flowers are applied locally to maturate boils and alleviate skin eruptions. The powdered seeds are used to treat scrofula. Saponin from the pods and roots has spermicidal activity.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Other

Rating: 4

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Agroforestry Uses: A fast-growing tree that fixes atmospheric nitrogen and succeeds in full sun, it is an excellent plant to use as a pioneer when establishing woodland or woodland gardens, though its ability to invade areas outside its native range means that it is best used only within its native area. Due to its extensive, fairly shallow root system, the tree is a good soil binder and is recommended for eroded lands and erosion control, for example along river embankments. The nitrogen-rich leaves are valuable as mulch and green manure. Light transmission through the canopy of free-standing trees is 40 - 50%. Free-standing trees appear to enhance pasture production and quality beneath the canopy due to the increased nitrogen status of the soil. In an open woodland environment it has been repeatedly observed that there is modification of the ground cover with enhancement of grass production and quality beneath the canopy. Seedlings and cuttings are used as an initial shade in coffee, cardamom, cocoa plantations etc. The tree is also used in rehabilitating old cocoa farms or on improved fallows intended for cocoa cultivation due to its nitrogen-fixing abilities. Although not completely wind firm, the tree is tolerant of salt-laden winds and can be planted in moderately exposed coastal situations and as quick-growing shelter for less hardy plants. A valued honey tree because of its production of both nectar and pollen. Other Uses It seems probable that the fruits can yield 10 barrels of ethanol per hectare per year. The trunk yields a reddish gum that is used as an adulterant of gum arabic. A red dye is obtained from the bark. It can cause skin irritation. The bark contains 7 - 11% tannin and is used locally in India for tanning fishing nets. When dried and pounded, the bark can be used for soap. The heartwood is golden brown when freshly cut, turning to a rich dark brown with black streaks; it is clearly demarcated from the paler sapwood. The texture is medium to coarse; the grain deeply interlocked; lustre is medium; there is no distinctive odour or taste The wood is moderately heavy and hard; strong and fairly durable. It seasons well, works and polishes easily. An excellent, very decorative timber, it has been compared to black walnut. The wood is suitable for turnery, carving, general construction, furniture, veneer, agricultural implements etc. More generally the wood is useful for fuel wood because of its high productivity. It makes an excellent charcoal.

Alcohol: Used for fuel etc. (this is wood alcohol, it is not the sort that can be drunk.

Biomass: Provides a large quantity of plant material that can be converted into fuel etc.

Charcoal: Used for fuel, drawing, deodorant, filter, fertilizer etc.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Fodder: Food given to the animals (including plants cut and carried to them) rather than forage for themselves.

Fuel: Usually wood, plant materials that have been mentioned as being a good fuel.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Insecticide: Kills insects.

Pioneer: Plants, usually trees and shrubs, that can be used to reforest land.

Soap: Plants used directly as a soap substitute.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Agroforestry Services: Crop shade: Plants providing crop shade especially trees.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Fodder: Bank: Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.

Industrial Crop: Biomass: Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels

Industrial Crop: Pesticide: Many plants provide natural pesticides.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Minor Global Crop: These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.

Agroforestry Services: Crop shade: Plants providing crop shade especially trees.

Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen: Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.

Industrial Crop: Pesticide: Many plants provide natural pesticides.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Attracts Wildlife: Plants noted for attracting wildlife

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

Nitrogen Fixer: Plants that fix nitrogen in the soil

How it is grown

Although siris will grow in the humid tropics, its natural range is in semi-arid to sub-humid areas of the tropics and subtropics that have marked dry and reliable wet seasons. However, it may be established under conditions of low (400 mm/year) and irregular rainfall. Plants can succeed at elevations from sea level to 1,800 metres in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 26 - 36c, but can tolerate 12 - 48c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 600 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 500 - 2,500mm. Seedlings will not tolerate frost, but trees are moderately frost resistant when established. Prefers a well-drained, moisture-retentive soil and a position in full sun. Plants are able to succeed in most soil types, including saline but excluding cracking clay, so long as they are well drained. Tolerant of degraded or nutritionally poor soils. Prefers a pH in the range 6 - 7, tolerating 5.5 - 8.5. Established plants are very drought tolerant. Seedlings will not tolerate waterlogging. Requires a position sheltered from strong winds. Widely cultivated, the tree has become established in the wild in various areas outside its native range and is considered to be invasive in some of these areas. A fast-growing species, it can reach a height of 18 metres within 10 years from seed. When grown as a fuel crop on a coppice rotation of 10 - 15 years, it can produce about 5 cubic metres per hectare. Optimum annual wood production is 15 - 20 cubic metres per hectare. Plants have brittle limbs that can break off in high winds. They also have a shallow, though wide-spreading root system that does not support them well in windy positions. The dried seedpods hanging on the tree constantly rattle in the wind. Reserves in the root system enable young plants to survive total defoliation from fire or grazing, but with an obvious setback in growth. The tree coppices well, responds to pollarding, pruning and lopping, and will produce root suckers if the roots are exposed The trees are killed by even light fires. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby. The tree is not Rhizobium specific, and native strains are nearly always capable of producing an abundance of nodules.

Propagating it: Seed. The species is not particularly hard-seeded and requires only mild treatment (e.g. in water at 50c for 3 minutes) to germinate successfully. Be careful, though, since some seeds are quite thin-skinned and can be damaged if the water is too hot. A proportion of the seeds germinate immediately without any treatment. Plants can be direct-sown, container grown, or raised in a massed seed-bed and planted out as bare-rooted stems. There is nothing published on preferred rhizobial strains but it appears to nodulate readily without inoculation. Semi-ripe cuttings. Air layering.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-11

Growth: Fast

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

The bark is used as a fish poison. A red dye obtained from the bark has caused skin irritation. The pods contain saponin and are not eaten in large amounts by sheep, although cattle eat them readily. Brittle limbs.

In the USA, A. lebbeck is a category 1 weed in Florida. In Puerto Rico it is an invasive species A category 2 invasive species in the Bahamas. In South Africa, A. lebbeck invades coastal bush and riverbanks and is declared a category 1 weed. It is invasive in Venezuela and the Caribbean. It is invasive in various Pacific islands, and as cultivated or naturalized along roadsides and in forest patches in others.

Its other names

Local names

Africa: lebbekboom (Afrikaans); daqn el-Basha, dign el basha, labakh, laebach, lebbek (Arabic)mkingu, mkungu (Swahili); lebbek (Ethiopia) Asia: chreh (Cambodia); kokko (Myanmar); tekik, kitoke, tarisi (Indonesia); ka `sê, mai thone (Laos); batai, batai batu, kungkur, oriang (Malaysia); aninapala, langil (Philippines); chamchuri, kampu, ka se, khago, cha kham, chamchuri, kampu, phruek, suek (Thailand); b? k?t tây, lim xanh, trât (Vietnam) English: acacia tree, Broome raintree, East Indian walnut, flea tree, frywood, Indian siris, koko, lebbek, lebbeck, lebbektree, powderpuff-tree, rain tree, raom tree, rattlepod, siris tree, soros-tree, Tibet tree, woman's-tongue-tree Europe: bois noir, bois savane, ebénier d'Orient; tcha tcha (Creole) (French); Lebachbaum, Andamanen-kokko (German); albizia indiana (Italian) Indian subcontinent: bage, begemara, bengha, beymada, bhandir, diriina, chinchola, darshana, dieng-salvrin, dirasan, dirasanam, dirisana, doddabagi, gachoda, garso, goddahunse, harreri, hirih, kala siris, kalbaghi, kalshish, karuvagei, katu vagai, katvaghe, kinhi, kokko, kona, kothia koroi, lasrin, mathirsi, moroi, munipriva, nenmenivaka, salaunjal, samkesar sirisha, sarin, sarshio, seleyadamara sirsul, shrin, shireesha, shirish, shirson, sirai, sirar, siras, sirin, siris, sirish, sirisah, tantia, vagai, vagei, vaka, vakai, vellavaka, velvgai, voghe; ??? saras (Hindi); khok (Manipuri); sridam (Tamil); vaga (Malayalam); tinia (Urdu); kaalo siris, kalo siris (Nepali); mara, maara, sooriya mara, suriya mara (Sinhala), bhandi, sirisah (Tamil), kona, vageri, vakai siridam (Sri Lanka) Latin America: bano-oriental, ébano-oriental, coração-de-negro, língua-de-mulher, língua-de-sogra (Brazil); canjuro (Mexico); mata-raton (Panama); acacia; baile de caballero (Venezuela); acacia chachá, algarroba de olor, amor plantónico, aroma, aroma fracesca, cabellos de ángel, faurestina, florestina, lengua de mujer, lengua viperina (Spanish) Pacific: schepil kalaskas (Carolines); 'arapitia (Cook Islands); vaivai ni vavalagi (Fiji); white monkeypod (Hawaii); kalaskas, mamis, trongkon kalaskas, trongkon-mames, tronkon mames (Marianas Islands); gumorningabchey, ngumormingobchey (Yap) Lesser Antilles: vieille fille, shack-shack Madagascar: bonara, bwar nwar; fany; faux mendoravina

Synonyms

Acacia lebbeck (L.) Willd. Acacia macrophylla Bunge Acacia speciosa (Jacq.) Willd. Albizia latifolia

Siris Tree, Woman's Tongue, East Indian Walnut Albizia lebbeck