Albizia richardiana - 0.5 kg Seeds

Albizia richardiana (Albizia richardiana) is a tall, fast-growing deciduous legume tree that develops a straight, clean bole and a light, airy crown of fine bipinnate foliage, often reaching 20-30 m. It bears small greenish-cream flower heads and slender flat pods. Native to Madagascar, it has been widely introduced and naturalised across the warm plains of India, especially in West Bengal, the eastern states and Bangladesh, where it is a familiar avenue and boundary tree.

Because of its slim profile and rapid height growth it is planted along roads, canal banks, field margins and homesteads for light shade, windbreaks and quick timber. The soft-to-moderate wood is used for light construction, packing cases, plywood and fuel, while the nitrogen-fixing roots improve soil and the canopy casts a dappled, non-smothering shade well suited to intercropping.

• Family: Fabaceae (Mimosoideae)
• Native region: Madagascar (widely naturalised in eastern India)
• Mature height: 20-30 m
• Growth rate: Fast

Sowing the seed: soak the seeds in water for about 12-24 hours to break the hard coat before sowing. Sow 1-2 cm deep in well-drained nursery beds or polybags filled with a sandy-loam mix; seedlings emerge in roughly 7-14 days. Transplant to the field at the start of the monsoon when plants are 30-45 cm tall, spacing them generously for the tall, spreading crown.