Albizia spp.

Specifications

Family

Fabaceae

Species

Albizia spp.

Common name

Albizia spp.
Commonly known as

Description

The yellowish-white sapwood is differentiated from the heartwood, whose color ranges from yellow with golden highlights to dark brown. It has a coarse texture, interwoven grain, and a density between 0.60 and 0.85. Drying should be done immediately after cutting. The dust resulting from processing is irritating to mucous membranes. It offers good mechanical strength, while the sapwood has a low durability, while the heartwood has a fair durability.

Plant morphology

Large deciduous trees up to 50 m tall, with an erect, cylindrical stem, up to 1.5 m in diameter, and a dome-shaped, heavily branched crown. Young branches are densely pubescent, with bipinnate leaves consisting of 6-14 pairs of leaflets. The inflorescence, borne at the base of the leaves, is composed of pentamerous, yellowish-white flowers with numerous stamens. The fruit is a flat legume.

Natural occurrence

Countries of origin and distribution

Tropical Africa: Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi.

Habitat and ecology

These species are widespread in savannas and sparsely vegetated plains, from sea level up to 1,200 m.

Uses

Use class

CU1

CU2

CU3

CU4

CU5

Application areas

It is used for carpentry, floorboards, furniture, turning, packaging.

Threats and Conservation

Threats

Albizia ferruginea is at serious risk of extinction due to overharvesting in the wild, while A. zygia and A. versicolor are in a less critical situation and at risk at a local level, also due to harvesting for medicinal purposes.

Conservation measures

These species are present within some protected areas and some ex situ collections (BGCI 2019).

IUCN Red List IUCN

Albizia ferruginea NT - Near Threatened (2020); Albizia versicolor LC - Least Concern (2019); Albizia zygia LC - Least Concern (2019).

CITES. Year of assessment CITES

CITES Italia • Ultimo aggiornamento

Not present.

Technical data

Aesthetic characteristics

Grain

Obvious

Texture

Coarse

Physical and mechanical properties

Density
ρ

600 kg/m³

Radial shrinkage
Rad. sh.

MPa

Tangential shrinkage
Tang. sh.

MPa

Bending strength
M.O.R.

81 MPa

Modulus of Elasticity
M.O.E.

13000 MPa

Durability characteristics

Fungal resistance

Durable

Insect resistance

Resistant

Miscellaneous

Tanga tanga is a wood that comes from the processing of various species of the Albizia genus: A. ferruginea (Guill.& Perr.) Benth., A. versicolor Welw. ex Oliv., A. zygia (DC.) J.F.Macbr.