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siris tree

Albizia lebbeck

Family: Fabaceae · Genus: Albizia

lebbeck, woman's tongue, East Indian walnut

Secondary II High Fertilizer biomass 🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🪓 Coppices after cutting
Forest & Kim Starr · CC BY · Wikimedia Commons

A fast-growing, drought-tolerant leguminous tree of 18-30 m, native to tropical Asia and now pantropical. It fixes nitrogen readily and coppices excellently, used in silvopastoral systems, for fuelwood and for restoring degraded soils. It has invasive traits (high seed production, wind dispersal, root suckering) and should be managed with caution outside its native range.

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary II
Ecological role
Early secondary
Primary stratum
High
Strata
High, Emergent
Biomass class
Fertilizer biomass

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
Moderate
Drought tolerance
High
Waterlogging tolerance
None
Soil pH range
5.5–8.5
Preferred soil texture
Loamy, Sandy, Clayey
Hardiness zones
10–11
Frost tolerance
-4.0 °C

Morphology

Mature height
18–30 m
Recommended spacing
3–5 m
Root system
Lateral
Root depth
Shallow
Growth rate
Fast
Time to first harvest
12 months
Productive lifespan
25 years

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Siris tree takes the High stratum in the Secondary II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time. It also fixes nitrogen, feeding the soil for its line neighbors.

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Emergent High · ≈30 m Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Tolerates saline, alkaline and marginal soils; its extensive shallow root system is a good soil binder. Potentially invasive — control volunteer regeneration.

✂️ Management & Pruning

It coppices, pollards and lops well, resprouting vigorously from the stump and suckering from exposed roots. Note: it does not tolerate frequent hard cutting — regrowth slows if cut too often; let young trees establish for over a year before hard cuts. Documented regimes: complete pruning to the stem every 3 years (~1,700 kg/ha/yr edible DM) or lopping twice a year (~2,500 kg/ha/yr). Pollarding to release understorey light is viable; cut best at the end of the dry season / onset of the warm wet season.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: September, October, November, December

Fruiting months: April, May, June, July

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of siris tree?

The first harvest of siris tree comes around 12 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for siris tree?

The recommended spacing for siris tree is 3–5 m.

How tall does siris tree grow?

At maturity, siris tree reaches 18–30 m tall.

When does siris tree fruit?

Fruiting of siris tree occurs in April, May, June, July.

When does siris tree flower?

Flowering of siris tree occurs in September, October, November, December.

What stage and stratum does siris tree occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, siris tree belongs to the secondary ii stage, occupying the high stratum.

Does siris tree fix nitrogen?

Yes — siris tree is a nitrogen-fixing species that helps fertilize the system's soil.

Functions

🌱 Nitrogen fixer 🌿 Biomass producer 🪴 Nurse plant Windbreak Fodder Fuelwood Timber 🍯 Melliferous Ornamental Medicinal

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. CABI Compendium — Albizia lebbeck (Indian siris) (height_min_m, height_max_m, growth_rate, drought_tolerance, nitrogen_fixer, coppice_ability, biomes, cultivation_notes)
  2. PFAF Plant Database — Albizia lebbeck (functions, root_depth, gotsch_stage, ph_min, ph_max, hardiness_zone_min, hardiness_zone_max, frost_tolerance_c, waterlogging_tolerance)
  3. Tropical Forages — Albizia lebbeck (pruning_notes, frost_tolerance_c, time_to_first_harvest_months, waterlogging_tolerance, ph_min, ph_max, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, phenology)
  4. World Agroforestry (ICRAF) AgroforesTree Database — Albizia lebbeck (pruning_notes, productive_lifespan_years, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m, root_depth)
  5. Winrock FACT Net — Albizia lebbeck fodder tree (pruning_notes, productive_lifespan_years)
  6. Feedipedia — Albizia lebbeck (pruning_notes, root_depth, frost_tolerance_c, waterlogging_tolerance)

External references

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