Albizia julibrissin

The family of legumes is one of the families with the largest number of genus´, some 678 including some 18,000 species. The genus Albizia is dedicated to the Italian naturalist of the 18th century Filippo del Albizzi and the name of the species Julibrissin, is the Persian name of the silk tree.

It is a small tree with a wide crown. Its leaves are compound, sometimes with double pinnates, each with about 40-60 leaflets. The flowers are small heads with cottony appearance of a striking pink colour.

The fruits are very flat legumes of up to 15 cm, of a yellowish-brown colour. These stay in the tree even when they have lost their leaves; dried legumes hang from the bare branches.

They are appreciated in gardening, and they are also cultivated in order to give shade to different crops such as coffee or tea plantations.

Its presence in Cádiz is scarce, but it can be seen in the streets Bartolomé Llompart and Alegría and in the garden of Plaza de Asdrúbal.