Description:

• Shrubs or trees, unarmed
• Leaves bipinnate, few to many-jugate, main nerve of pinnae usually unilateral; glands on petiole and pinnae somewhat conspicuous; stipules herbaceous, sometimes conspicuous, usually caducous
• Flowers in pedunculate, globose heads, or cylindric spikes, bisexual or occasionally unisexual, with few bisexual mixed
• Calyx with campanulate to subcylindric tube and (4)5 short lobes
• Corolla funnel-shaped with tube as long as or longer than calyx and (4)5-lobed
• Stamens many, united towards base much exserted, anthers peltate with thecae opening upwards
• Ovary sessile or shortly stalked, oblong or linear-oblong, narrowed into filiform style, longer than stamens; ovules several
• Pod flattened, straight, indehiscent or 2-valved, papyraceous to subcoriaceous
• Seeds few to several, ovoid to orbicular, compressed with filiform funicle
• x = 13 (high polyploidy)

Nomenclature:

• Albizia Durazz.
  • Durazzini: 11 (1772)
  • Harvey: 284 (1862)
  • Codd: 67 (1958)
  • Brenan: 136 (1959)
  • Brenan: 113 (1970)
  • Ross: 7 (1975)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Species ± 145, from Africa to Asia and Australia
• Southern Africa: Species 11, indigenous in Namibia, the four northern provinces, Swaziland and KwaZulu-Natal; 2 others naturalised