Albizia amara - Krishnasirish

Krishnasirish, Albizia amara

Albizia amara is a small to moderate-sized, much-branched deciduous shrub or small tree with a spreading crown; it can grow up to 15 metres tall. It has a smooth, dark green, scaly bark. It resembles the acacias but lacks thorns. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, source of wood and other materials.

Uses

Hairfall, Dandruff, Piles, Diarrhea, Gonorrhoea, Leprosy, Boils and burns, Cough, Malaria, Ulcers

Parts Used

Leaves, Bark, Pods, Seeds.

Chemical Composition

The seed extract showed DNA binding activity, which has been found to be due to pithecolibine alkaloids, budmunchiamines. The leaves contain prodelphinidins, myricitrin, hyperin, quercitrin, transp-coumaric acid, cis-p-coumaric acid and trans-ferulic acid. The seeds contain echinocystic acid and taxifolin--O-beta-D xylopyranosyl-beta-D-arbinopyranoside.

Common names

Language	Common name
Kannada	balukambi, beelkambi, chigare, kadusige, ruggli
Hindi
Malayalam	chalavagai, oosulay, sulivaka, varacchi, varachi
Tamil	arappu, arappumaram, cikkiram, turinjil, ushilam
Telugu	chigara, chikkareni, chikondi, nallarenga, shekrani
Marathi	lulai, lullei, thugli, lalisurangi
Gujarathi
Punjabi
Kashmiri
Sanskrit	krishnasirish
English

Properties

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

Habit

Tree

Identification

Leaf

Kind	Shape	Feature
Bipinnate	Alternate	stipulate; stipules minute, free, lateral, lanceolate, cauducous; rachis 3-15 cm, slender, pulvinate, with a gland near the base on the upper side, yellow tomentose; pinnae 3-16 pairs, opposite, even pinnate, 2.5-7 cm, slender, rachis with a bristle at the terminal end, with a gland in between terminal pairs on the upper side or between all pairs; leaflets 20-60, opposite, even pinnate, estipellate, lamina 3-8 x.1-2 mm, sessile, linear, base oblique, apex subacute or obtuse, margin entire, ciliate or glabrous; surface appressed-pubescent or glabrescent, chartaceous; midrib more or less central, rarely towards the distal margin, lateral nerves obscure.

Flower

Type	Size	Color and composition	Stamen	More information
Bisexual	heads solitary or 2-3 in axillary fascicles	Pale yellow	6-8 mm long; peduncle to 5 cm, slender, densely pubescent; bracts to 5 mm, cauducous; pedicel to 1 mm, puberulous; calyx funnel-shaped, 1-2×1-1.5 mm, puberulous, teeth 5, short; corolla, 3-4 mm long, glabrous except the bearded apex, lobes 5, oblong-lanceolate; stamens many, 1-1.5 cm long, monadelphous at base, tube as long as or slightly shorter than the corolla tube, filaments long exserted; ovary stipitate, pubescent, style filiform, stigma minute.	{{{5}}}

Fruit

Type	Size	Mass	Appearance	Seeds	More information
Pods	10-24 x 2.5-4 cm		flat, greyish-brown, veiny, straight or wavy along margin, base and apex rotund, horned, indehiscent	seeds 6-13, compressed, ovate-orbicular.

Mode of Propagation

Seeds, Cuttings

How to plant/cultivate

Seed - it has a hard seedcoat and may benefit from scarification before sowing to speed up germination. This can usually be done by pouring a small amount of nearly boiling water on the seeds (being careful not to cook them!) and then soaking them for 12 - 24 hours in warm water. By this time they should have imbibed moisture and swollen - if they have not, then carefully make a nick in the seedcoat (being careful not to damage the embryo) and soak for a further 12 hours before sowing. The treated seed can be then sown and will germinate within 7 - 10 days. Germination rate is about 80%.

Commonly seen growing in areas

Dry deciduous forest, Tropical area, Dry area

Photo Gallery

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  Leaves and flowers

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  Leaves

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  Flowers

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  Bark

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  Flowers

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  Pods

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  Pods

External Links

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