The Albizia reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004
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Albizia

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Albizia
Image:Mimosa 2.jpg
Silk tree (Albizia julibrissin)
foliage and blossoms
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class:Magnoliopsida
Order:Fabales
Family:Fabaceae
Subfamily:Mimosoideae
Genus:Albizia
Species
Albizia julibrissin
about 150 other species

Albizia is a genus of about 150 species of mostly subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the Mimosoideae subfamily of the Fabaceae, pantropical but mostly in the old world.

One species A. julibrissin, the Silk tree or Pink siris, extends well north into temperate regions in east Asia, tolerating temperatures down to about -30°C, provided it gets adequate summer heat to ripen the shoots.

In North America, where it is commonly grown as an ornamental tree, it is often confusingly called "mimosa", a name which correctly belongs to Mimosa pudica and other species in the genus Mimosa; it seeds itself very freely and is becoming regarded as an invasive species in several US States.