Poison-pod albizia
Albizia versicolor

Family: Fabaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 5-18 m high. The crown is flat and spreading. The bark is rough and greyish-brown. The young branches have a rusty covering. The leaves are compound. The leaflets are few and broad. There are 1-4 leaflet stalks and 3-6 pairs of leaflets along these. The leaflets are 2-6 cm long by 1-5 cm wide. They are broadly oval. They are very hairy underneath. The flowers are white to greenish-yellow. The fruit is a pod 10-27 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. The seeds are flattened and about 1 cm across.

It contains a poison called tetramethoxypyridoxine. Also as Mimosaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. In east Africa it grows from sea level to 1,500 m altitude. It is best on well-drained soils.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Angola, Botswana, Central Africa, Congo, East Africa, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Africa, Southern Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

How it is used for food

The unripe seeds and pods are poisonous to animals.

Edible parts

Caution, poisonous

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds or root suckers. Fresh seeds grow easily but stored seeds need soaking in water.

Its other names

Local names

Ifuma-ngoma, Ipavera, Mmola, Mubungati, Mukauzane, Muriranyedzi, Musese, Mutana-tanga, Tanga-tanga, Uipovera, Umnonjwana, Umububa

Synonyms

Albizia mossambicensis Sim;