Description and Uses
Albizia saman (Saman tree) is a
tropical
tree from
Malaysia & Indonesia . It is mainly grown for its
timber crops
, which have a
long shelf life. The crop is harvested by
total removing. It starts flowering after
5 -
9 years. The yield will be
1700 kg/ha/yr fodder, but in its top season there will be a yield of
5 m3/ha in 15 yr wood. Other crop types include;
timber, fuel, ornamental, fruit, fodder, gum resin, bio-mass. The
{missing data} is used as
minor food . The
bark is used as "
anti-arthritic activity, " with
{missing data} (0% -
0%) as its significant
phytochemical. There is
Albizia saman oil extracted by
steam distillation from the
tree's
seed/nut yielding
5.00% -
5.40% oil. The
tree's wood is called
monkey pod wood and has a density of
550 -
650 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the
tree's growing speed is
very fast, it's energetic value is
5450 ckal/kg and the wood's drying speed is
medium. After
13 years the
tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal.
Albizia saman has a lifespan of
100 years.
Environmental limitations
The tree is
50 meters tall with a crown of
40 meters wide. The
tree prefers a planting distance of
1,200 cm and a row distance of
1,200 cm. It is
very fast growing and
partial shade tolerant.
Albizia saman has a
shallow root-system and it has symbiotic associations with the
Glomus intraradices fungi
(endo-mycorrhiza). It is
able to fix nitrogen moderately with
"Rhizobiaceae bacteria. The name(s) or string of bacteria include(s)
"not applicable ". The
tree's flower-morphology is
hermaphroditic and is pollinated by
bees.
Albizia saman is
deciduous in dry season and
not allelopathic and has
no thorns.
Albizia saman thrives in an altitude of
0 to
1300 meters above sea-level
(tropical). The minimum temperature is
0°C; optimally between
20 -
35°C. The optimal rainfall is
2100
mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between
600 -
3000mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between
5.0 -
7.0 in a soil texture of
loam. To salt it is
intolerant to wind
a bit tolerant and to fire
intolerant.
Pests and Diseases
Albizia saman is susceptible to the following pests:
Hilda patruelis
, Heteropsylla cubana
. And it's susceptible to the following diseases:
Bacterial spot ,
,
.
Seed Propagation
Seeds are
orthodox and can be stored for
156 months. There are approximative
17000
seeds/kg. The seeds can be propagated as followed:
- (1) Store harvested seeds dry at room temperature
- (2) Soak the seeds overnight in warm water before sowing.
- (3) press the seeds twice its size in the soil soil.
