Albizia saman (Jacq.) Merr.

മഴമരം

Family : Leguminosae (Mimosoideae)

Synonym : Mimosa saman Jacq.

Common Names : Urakamthungi maram, Mazhamaram, Rain tree

Flowering Period : March – May

Distribution : Native of Central and South America

Habitat : Grown as avenue tree

Uses : Avenue plant, fruits edible, anti-diarrheal, bowl carving, varnish production. Leaves and pods are used as fodder for cattle. Seeds chewed to relieve sore throat. Infusion of fresh leaves and inner bark drank as tea to treat diarrhoea. Bark or root decoction used in hot baths to treat stomach cancer. Tree valued for durable timber. Also used as high-quality firewood and charcoal, as well as to make paper. Grounded up seedpods used as raw material for making biofuels. Also yields an inferior gum used as substitute for gum arabic. Nitrogen-rich pruning’s used as green manure to improve soil on agricultural and pastoral lands.

Key Characters :

Rain tree have yellowish-brown bark, rough, deeply fissured. Leaves bipinnate, alternate, margin entire. Flowers bisexual, pinkish-white; corolla pinkish, funnel shaped. Stamens many. Fruit a pod, indehiscent, slightly flattened and depressed between the seeds.