Forest Siris / White Siris
Origin of name
Family: MIMOSACEAE
- Albizia in honour of Filippo degli Albizzi
- procera meaning “tall or lofty“
Occurrence
A local tree of open forest, monsoon forest, vine thickets, and also rainforest margins.
Needs full sun/part-shade. Tolerates most soil types, some salinity, moderate drainage, and some dryness.
Appearance
A fast-growing, spreading tree (to 12m) with smooth, cream-grey bark. Leafless, briefly, in the dry. Prolific, terminal clusters of fluffy, green-cream, flowers (Sep-Oct) lead to thin, flat, brown pods 2-2.5 x 10-15cm.
Indigenous use: Young shoots, eaten raw. Flowers attract bees, butterflies and other insects. Gliders chew bark to feed on sap. Good fuelwood and charcoal tree, cabinet timber. Used in bank stabilisation, park, street, and windbreak plantings.
