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Woody > Albizia > Albizia Julibrissin > Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'

Albizia Julibrissin

'Summer Chocolate'


Summer Chocolate Silk Tree; Summer Chocolate Mimosa Tree




Origin:  Produced from a control planting in 1990 in Kawaguchi City, Japan and developed by Dr. Masato Yokoi.
Family
Fabaceae
Genus
Albizia
Species
Julibrissin
Cultivar
'Summer Chocolate'
Category
Woody
Type
Tree (deciduous)
USDA Hardiness Zone
7b
Canadian Hardiness Zone
7a
RHS Hardiness Zone
H3
Temperature (°C)
-15
Temperature (°F)
5
Height
5 - 8 m
Spread
5 - 8 m
Photographs
Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
JulyAugust
General Description
A medium to small tree with umbrella like appearance and a chocolate burgundy colour.
Landscape
Shade tree (due to its wide canopy) and specimen plant.
Cultivation
Full sun to partial shade. Prefers light clay, sandy loam and acidic to alkaline soils. Drought tolerant.
Shape
Vase-shape crown, when mature will produce an umbrella-like structure.
Growth
Fast
ID Characteristic
This tree has a very rich chocolate burgundy colour. The leafs are vary fern like in appearance and in mature trees they are usually as wide as they are tall.
Pests
Brown tail moth, Carnation tortrix, Vapourer, leopard, Buff tip, Hawthorn webber, Lackey, Goat, Silver Y, Winter, Small ermine and Angle shades moths.
Habitat
Horticultural origin.
Flower/Leaf Bud Description
Clustered buds which are small consisting of 5-petaled calyx with a corolla fused into a tube.
Leaf Description
Alternate leaf pattern, 18 - 20 cm wide and 30 cm long. The leaves are bipinnately compound and each leaf has around 40 - 60 leaflets.
Flower Description
Multi-head flowers each containing many stamens and a single pistil. The flower in the center of the cluster tends to be the largest. Having a pom-pom-like appearance.
Fruit Description
Large bean-like seed pods.
Colour Description
The bark is greyish-brown in colour. The leaflets are a bronze green when young and a chocolate burgundy colour when mature.. The flowers are a light pink colour. The buds are green and turn to a light brown when ripe.
Texture Description
The bark is smooth with some bumps.
Propagation
Semi-hardwood cuttings and bud grafting.
Ethnobotanical Uses (Disclaimer)
The species was commonly used in Chinese medicine and found to have a sedative-like and anti-depressant like reaction when studied on mice.
References
McClenathan, W. (2011, August 1). It may not be a Hershey bar, but the view from under an Albizia Julibrissin can be just as sweet. Retrieved October 27, 2015. Patent USPP13822 - Albizia julibrissin tree named 'Summer Chocolate'. (n.d.). Retrieved October 27, 2015.
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