Albizia lebbeck - Shirisha

Shirisha, Albizia lebbeck

Shirisha is a beautiful large deciduous tree found throught India and up to 900m in the Himalayas. The greenish-yellow flowers appear in abundance during the summer filling the air with a rich aroma.

Uses

Inflammation, Herpes, Skin diseases, Cold and cough, Gastric, Blotches, Pimples, Diarrhea, Sore throats

Parts Used

Leaves, Roots, Seeds.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	baage, baage mara, kallu baage
Hindi	siris, siras
Malayalam	chelinge, kattuvaka, nenmani, nenmeni
Tamil	vaagai, vellaivenkai, kattuvakai
Telugu	baagichettu, billa, billa vaara, dirisana, dirisanamu, sirasamu
Marathi	NA
Gujarathi	NA
Punjabi	NA
Kashmiri	NA
Sanskrit	Shirisha, krishnashirisha, mridupushpa, shukapushpa, vishanashana
English	Siris

Properties

Reference: Dravya - Substance, Rasa - Taste, Guna - Qualities, Veerya - Potency, Vipaka - Post-digesion effect, Karma - Pharmacological activity, Prabhava - Therepeutics.

Rasa

Kashaya (Astringent), Tikta (Bitter), Madhura (Sweet)

Guna

Tikta (Bitter), Rooksha (Dry), Teeksha(Piercing)

Veerya

Ishat Ushna (Slightly hot)

Vipaka

Katu (Pungent)

Karma

Kapha, Pitta, Vata

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Bipinnate	Alternate	pinnae 2-4 pairs, 5.5-12 cm long, slender, glabrous, opposite, even pinnate, leaflets 8-20, opposite, even pinnate, petiolule to 1 mm long, a gland in between each leaflets, 2.7-5 x 1-2.5 cm, obliquely oblong, base of one half cuneate, other round, apex obtuse, margin entire, glabrous above and slightly pubescent beneath, coriaceous; midrib towards distal margin,stipulate; stipules small, free, lateral, cauducous; rachis 7-9 cm long, slender, grooved above, with a gland at its base, glabrous, pulvinate; lateral nerves 6-8 pairs, pinnate, slender, prominent, intercostae reticulate.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
bisexual	3.5-3.7 cm long	Greenish-white	Many	solitary or 2-4 together in axillary corymbose racemes; peduncle 6-8 cm; bracts linear, cauducous; pedicels to 3 mm. Calyx tube funnel-shaped pubescent, 3-4.5×1.5-3 mm, teeth triangular. Petals united infundibuliform 7-10 mm long, greenish, lobes 5, lanceolate, pubescent without. Stamens many, filament tube shorter than corolla tube, filaments long exserted, green or pink; anthers very small. Ovary subsessile, glabrous, style 2.5 cm, filiform; stigma minute.

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
A pod	20-30 x 4-5 cm	flat, oblong, compressed, straw coloured, base and apex obtuse, turgid above the seeded region	seeds 8-12, 6-10 x 5-8 mm, ovate, dull dark brown, flattened.		{{{6}}}

Mode of Propagation

Seeds

How to plant/cultivate

Can be easily grown from seed.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Tropical area, Road sides.

Photo Gallery

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  Dry seed pods

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External Links

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