Our seeds from last week came from the mimosa or silktree, Albizia julibrissin.
Thanks to my cousin Karen Gibson, we have some great photographs of the mimosa tree.
Mimosas are small tree. This one is covered with the seed pods that yield the seeds.
Here’s a closer view of the seed pods.
As you can see, the seeds are smooth and shiny.
You might wonder why people would want to grow this tree that was originally from Asia.
It is because at other times of the year the tree looks like this.
The flowers are a lovely, delicate pink.
The flowers have a scent, especially at night. They attract night-flying moths.
Mimosa trees grow throughout the South and up the East Coast, into New England.
Have you seen a mimosa tree?
Karen, thank you very much for sharing your photographs and your seeds. You can see more about Karen at her blog, Musings, Mischief and Mayhem.
Wonderful ! Mimosa tree really look stunning. One of the most noticeable thing of this tree is that the leaves of mimosa are like a fern and they fold up at night. These flowers used for producing seeds pod in winter months.
Mimosa tree is really a beautiful addition to your backyard.Thsi tree grows quickly and attaining height of 30 to 40 feet.The leaves of this tree are very sensitive if you stroke them with your hand they will begin to close up their leaves.
Mimosa is also called as silk tree because of its spectacular fragrant pink and silk textured blooms. It is a very popular shading tree.Its popularity comes from the delicate fern-like leaflets and the gorgeous flowers.
Can I control the height and width by pruning?
I just planted a 5ft one in front of my porch…I want it to shade the porch and give us some privacy, but I don’t desire it to grow beyond the porch rood.
I grew up with one of these, and decided to gift it to myself & family for my 50th birthday this 4/4/16.
It’s just starting to grow leaves!
Pruning is okay as long as you don’t remove too much of the plant during any one pruning. The plant needs those leaves to make food.
Good analysis.. Both Mimosa seeds and Silktree seeds have different uses and potential benefits, so the better choice would depend on the specific intended use.