Mimosa or not ???? UPDATE!!!!

Hi IBC,
This tree belongs to my father. He started it from a seed 15-20 years ago. He collected the seed pod whilst on holiday, he believes in Greece but he cannot remember so could be from almost anywhere. He doesn’t think it’s been re-potted for around 5-10 year but again is not sure. Looks to be very root bound in very poor soil.
Does anybody know the species? I gather it’s a variety of Mimosa.
Sorry the leaves are closed, the picture was taken at night.

looks like mimosa to me, but i'm nowhere near an expert. my local carolina variety closes up just like that one at night though, and the bark is definitely similar. i like it!

Yup Thats Mimosa (Albizia) Iris would probably be able to tell you exact species and genus. I've got one growing out in a 5 gallon.
-Jay

Thanks Jesse.

Forgot to say it’s only ever been kept indoors. Unsure if this is right for it all year round. I live in the south west of England so would assumedly come in for winter.
Done a virtual to show where I'd like to get it but this will be hard without knowing how to care for it properly.

Thanks Jay, If Iris could tell me would be fantastic.

It might be a Royal Poinciana, (Delonix Regia). The leaves are similar to a mimosa's but the blossoms are different.

Does your father remember what the seed pod looked like? Here's a link to a photo of a mimosa's seed pod: http://miraclesandmadnessinanaustingarden.blogspot.com/2010/10/mimosa-seed-pod.html

And here's a poinciana seed pod: http://www.flickr.com/photos/plant-trees/3702816942/

the bark is VERY similar to Mimosa but what a treat it would be if that were a Poinciana...stunning flowers!

Hmm, I'm not so sure that's albizia...at least not the one we typically see around here (albizia julibrissin). Need to see it with the leaflets open. I've also got one growing out in a nursery container, and it has many more leaflets on each leaf. Maybe there is variation in the species? It's definitely related, though.

I don't think A. julibrissin would like to be kept indoors year round...it (at least some cultivars) do quite well as landscape trees here in zone 5/6 in western NY. Maybe this is one of the tropical mimosas?

Chris

"I don't think A. julibrissin would like to be kept indoors year round"

I had thought that too Chris, when he mentioned it living inside year round..

Also in all its life it has never flowered. Thought this could be to do with the pruning technique or the fact that it has always be inside.

it looks also lika a kind of cassia...look on google pictures

Hi Mr Miyagi,

Looks like from mimosa family: Leucana glauca. Called Ipil trees in the Philippines.

Here's a link: http://www.stuartxchange.org/Ipil-ipil.html

Cheers,

Jon

I would look at trees common to Greece. There are a lot of similar species and I would think it would be impossible to ID this without a flower.

I agree with Cram.
It looks like a Cassia more than like a mimosa julibrissim.
The leaves of mimosa are smaller.

I like the way the tree looks,,,mimosa or not !! I am goining to look for a mimosa come spring..do they all close ther leaves at night like a rain tree????? nice one take care john

moyogijohn wrote:I like the way the tree looks,,,mimosa or not !! I am going to look for a mimosa come spring..do they all close their leaves at night like a rain tree????? nice one take care john

There is a large family of trees related to legumes (beans) that have compound leaves, tend to close up when stressed or at night, and have bean like fruit of various sizes. A bonsai size Brazilian Raintree will have bean about two inches long, at the most. A Royal Poinciana will have a fruit about two feet long.
The trees in this family are sometimes called "sensitive plants," because of this tendency of the leaves. They are difficult for an indoor show, because they will frequently close up in Air Conditioning.
In addition to the Brazilian Raintree we have the "Ear tree" where the bean like fruit is curved into a large brown, ear shape. The Texas Ebony is also in this family. They tend to be FAST growing also.
Yes, as far as I know they all close up at night also.

Billy- i've had a sensitive plant in my yard for years and never knew it was in the same family. i love the plant and the flowers that it gets (and touching the foliage to wow visitors) and i was wondering if you could offer any advice on propogating it. there's just one clump on the hill in the yard. it flowers every year, but doesn't expand very much at all per year.

thanks for expanding my knowledge of plants. sorry to hijack the thread for a second as a result.
J

Mimosa Pudica can easily be rooted by softwood cuttings in spring, You can probably do thicker woody stuff to , these guys seem to root out fairly easily. I wish I could put mine in the ground to get a good trunk size, alas she would freeze. So she grows in her ever increasing pots...grows fast too!

thanks, jay! will try a few cutting when the spring comes around and see about this.

I have a Mimosa that I cultivated from the backyard. I back up to a creek in St. Louis MO and we have Mimosas growing wild along the creek bed. I also had one in my yard for awhile. [b] I have a pic of the one I took from the backyard and a pic of what mature full grown trees look like [justify]

gaitano wrote:I have a Mimosa that I cultivated from the backyard. I back up to a creek in St. Louis MO and we have Mimosas growing wild along the creek bed. I also had one in my yard for awhile. [b] I have a pic of the one I took from the backyard and a pic of what mature full grown trees look like [justify]

Be careful, as Mimosa pudica (herbaceous tender perennial) and Albizia sp. (the tree commonly called 'Mimosa') are different plants.
Though both are a lot of fun to work with!
-Jay

Looks like Leucaena leucocephale or similar for me.
Have a lot of them in training. Very nice to work with.

I just found this forum very nice.

Hi all, Anyone know a good time of year to re-pot this in, I believe Zone 8 South West England? My mother decided the seed pod was collected in Spain.

I dont think it is an Albizia, definately not julibrissin (silk tree) maybe Albizia adianthifolia.. but they are extremely fast growing.
definately not Delonix regia.... their leaves are leathery and more greyish green than green. (the trunk would have swolen by now)
Then nodes on the bark is tell tale of Mimosa pudica. if you touch it and it folds up, then definately mimosa!
All of the ubove mentioned plants need bright light, full sun.

Sorry mistake...Delonix regia is the Flamboyant, Flame of the forest, Fleur-de-paradis, or Poinciana, very difficult to grow outside the tropics and sub-tropics... Delonix pumila has got the grey green leaves and caudex.