Mruka is what we called the species in our seminars, from the Kimeru Mduruka, but I find it difficult to identify separately to Albizia gummifera, the most reliable method of identification being the longer seed pods in this species. The name may not be important and harvested the tree has many uses, but these days who would want to down such a beautiful and (when still standing) useful tree.
Description: A semi deciduous tree up to 20 metres with a wide, umbrella shaped crown. Bark is smooth and usually grey and perhaps brownish. Branchlets have velvety brown hairs. Leaves are compound - 4 - 7 leaflets each side on a stalk of about 25 cm. Leaflets are pale and hairy beneath and upper-side glossy green. Tips are rounded. Flowers are creamy white in loose conspicuous heads. Stalks are slightly hairy. Fruit are numerous and persistent dull brown pods with thicker edges. 30 x 6 cm but often smaller with many large seeds.
Uses: Fuel-wood and charcoal, timber, tool
handles, medicine, bee fodder, monkeys too eat the flowers, shade. soil
conservation, nitrogen fixation, gum.
Propagation: There are up to 15 000
seeds per kg. Seeds are attacked by insects on the tree, so need to harvested
as soon as ripe. Germination is less than 50% and sporadic. Best and even germination
is achieved by nicking the seed-coat before sowing directly into pots, or by hot water
soaking for 24 hours.
Seed stores well if kept cool and dry and insect
free.
Seedlings in the nursery are susceptible to pest
so should not be retained in the nursery for long.
The species is most suited to higher, cooler
sites and prefers shade when first out planted.
A tree behind our house at Makumira always
flowered profusely and attracted nuisance monkeys. That same tree did not shed
leaves perhaps because the soil moisture levels were higher than other
areas.
It is a good tree to nurture. But needs shade when
first out-planted.
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