Mimosa (Albizia Julibrissin)

The mimosa trees are in full bloom this week! I've never had a chance to work with these trees even though they are quite common in our area, so it has been great fun to see them up close at the barn where I work. The ponies also seem to like them. The other morning it looked rather like we had a paddock full of giraffes, because they have eaten all the easy to reach bits of leaf and flowers but just won't give up on the hopes of another nibble!


As far as appearances go, Albizia julibrissin trees are easy to miss unless they are blooming.  They are small, skinny trees with fern-like leaves that fold up at night or when it rains. They lose their leaves in the fall and usually look a bit skeletal without them. But when an Albizia tree is blooming, it's another matter: they have big, puffball blossoms that usually come in bright, cheery pink and white, and they smell heavenly! The blossoms remind me a little of gardenias, but mostly like peach soda.

This tree originally came from Asia, and was introduced into other parts of the world as an ornamental. In our part of the world (Southeastern US) it has naturalized in many areas, much like that other escaped ornamental, honeysuckle. So pretty, so invasive, so incredibly useful!

Herbally speaking, the blossoms and the bark are considered to be the useful parts of the plant. Traditionally, it was viewed as a sedative with special affinity for emotional disturbances such as anxiety and testiness from bottling up the emotions.The flowers were seen as having a more uplifting action on the emotions, and the bark as having a more grounding effect. Other uses included insomnia, poor memory, and amnesia. Additionally, the bark had another use more related to the physical body: it was considered to be extremely valuable for many types of injuries, including wounds and bone fractures.

I'm hoping I will have some pics of this lovely plant by next week- I keep forgetting to take my camera with me to work. (I know, I know, Bad Plantparazzi!)  In the meantime, here's a link to a really great article on Albizia over at the East West School of Herbology's website:

Albizia: The Tree of Happiness by Michael Tierra L.Ac, O.M.D.