Albizia julibrissin ‘Rosea’

Botanical Name: Albizia julibrissin ‘Rosea’
Common Name: Silk Tree

Plant Hardiness: Zone 5

Flower: Pink, feathery like a powder brush. Very showy

Bloom Time: Mid July to late August

Foliage: Small green leaflets form a long compound leaf that has a tropical feel to it

Fruit: A 5 to 7 inch long pod that starts green in late summer, turns brown in the fall and persists into winter

Habit: Vase shaped tree forming a broad flat top. Sometimes multi-stemmed

Size: 20 feet tall with a slightly greater width

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Native Habitat: Korea

Other Features: This is a tree that can do well in poor dry soils. Hardy for southern New England but needs a protected location the farther you are from the coast

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Description

Description: This tree, very often misnamed mimosa, grows about 20 feet tall. It has alternate, very finely divided twice-compounded leaves that are quite like those of Mimosa pudica (Sensitive Plant), as well as several species of Acacia which more regularly claim mimosa as a common name. The Albizia flower is a pink, feathery little ball, and a relatively large tree covered with flowers is quite a spectacular sight. In southern New England it blooms from mid-July to the end of August. Its long blooming period, at the time of the summer when few other trees or shrubs are in flower, makes it a very desirable tree. Silk trees can survive and prosper in rather poor soil, preferably on the alkaline side. This tree is not very hardy and should be used with discretion in southern New England and only as far north as Boston. In New England, you must be sure to use the variety ‘Rosea’ (more recently renamed ‘Ernest Wilson’). This form is native to Korea, and it is much hardier than Albizia julibrissin which is only hardy as far north as southern New Jersey.