Legume family. Homeland - Mediterranean countries, India, South America, also grows in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Far East. About 150 species are common in nature. These are deciduous shrubs about 6-8 m high, with cirrus leaves and pink inflorescences, very reminiscent of a close relative - acacia.
Lankaran Albizia julibrissin has openwork, fan-like leaves, twice pinnate, about 40-45 cm long, consist of 9-18 lobes, each in turn contains up to 20-30 pairs of oppositely located oval leaves about 1.5 cm long, on very short petioles. At night, the leaflets fold in pairs along the central vein. Inflorescence - lush corymbose panicles, very fragrant. Flowers with a five-lobed corolla, fused in the lower part into a tube and long pink stamens. Flowering from June to September. The fruit is a multi-seeded bean, about 20 cm long.
Caring for Albicia
Temperature: Moderate in summer - optimally about 22-24 ° C, in winter it needs a cool but bright room with a temperature of about 10-12 ° C, but not lower than 5 ° C. Albicia is not frost-resistant, sheds leaves for the winter, but it does not tolerate summer heat, so it needs to be shaded or rearranged in a cooler place.
Lighting: Photophilous, grows in nature in open sunny areas, but at home albia is shaded in summer.
Watering: Abundant from spring to autumn, very moderate in winter, especially if the plant is kept cool in winter. When wintering on an insulated balcony, watering is completely stopped. Poorly tolerates severe overdrinking of an earthen coma during the growing season.
Fertilizers: Every year in spring and summer, every 2-3 weeks, fertilizer dressing with liquid complex fertilizer for indoor plants is carried out.
Air humidity: Does not need spraying.
Reproduction: Cuttings, basal branches and seeds. Seeds are sown in peat soil in February-March, after preliminary soaking for 2-3 days, sprinkled with earth, a layer of 0.5 cm. Seed germination is usually good, with uniform moistening of the substrate, heating is not required.
Albicia can be propagated not only by seeds, but also by cuttings. For this purpose in spring semi-lignified cuttings of last year's growth with 2-3 kidneys are cut. Cuttings need to be dipped in root or heteroauxin, and put on rooting in a moderately moist substrate. Can be rooted in vermiculite. However, root formation in cuttings is a long process, about 3 months.
Transplant: Transplants are carried out in the spring, annually. Soil composition: 2 part of light sod, 2 part of sheet (peat), 1 part of fine gravel (2-3 mm), 1 part of perlite. The pot does not need to be taken with a margin - the plant can rot and "sway" into growth for a long time. Do not forget about the drainage - 1.5 cm of a layer of expanded clay or pieces of foam plastic is enough. Soil acidity is required in the range of 5.5-6.