Albizia saponaria var. saponaria

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Albizia saponaria var. saponaria

Description

Tree to 15(-24) m high, d.b.h. up to 75 cm. Branchlets terete, densely puberulous to tomentel- lous with reddish brown circular lenticels. Leaves: Stipules oblong-lanceolate to linear, 3.5-10 by 0.8-3 mm, (early) caducous. Inflorescence composed of pedunculate glomerules aggregated into terminal, puberulous or tomentellous panicles, peduncles to 3 cm long, glomerules consisting of 12-20 sessile flowers. Flowers dimorphic, bisexual, creamy-yellow, pentamerous. Stamens creamy-white, tube usually exceeding the corolla tube but always shorter than the corolla. Ovary c. 1-2 mm, stipe to 1 mm. Seeds brownish, elliptic to ovate-elliptic, flattened, 7-10 by 4-6 by c. 1 mm, areole 5-8 by 2-2.5 mm with pleurogram parallel to the margins, open towards the hilum.

Distribution

Amboina present, Asia-Tropical: Borneo present; Maluku (Maluku present); Philippines (Philippines present); Sulawesi (Sulawesi present), Ceram present, Halmahera present, Lahad Datu Dist present, Sula Archipelago present, Ternate present, islands off Sabah present
Malesia: Borneo (islands off Sabah, Lahad Datu Dist.), Philippines, Celebes, Sula Archipelago, Moluccas (Ternate, Halmahera, Ceram, Amboina). Widely cultivated.

Uses

Because of the considerable saponin-con- tent of the bark and wood used as a substitute for soap and as fish-poison [cf. ].