Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin), Silk tree

Main Facts about Mimosa

Mimosa is a deciduous, small to medium-sized tree that can grow 20 to 40 feet tall. The leaf arrangement gives mimosa a feathery appearance. Fern-like leaves fold up at night, sensitive to human touch. Pink and white wispy fragrant flowers look like pink hair. Fruits are flat and in pods. Pods are straw-colored and 6 inches long containing 5 to 10 light flat brown oval-shaped seeds. Pods typically persist on the plant through the winter months.

Using Mimosa

In China, it is known as the "Tree of Happiness" because of its calming herbal properties. Both the bark and the flowers are used as a calming sedative in Oriental traditional medicine.The flowers have also been used for the treatment of insomnia, amnesia, sore throat, and contusion as well as depression, melancholy and anxiety.

Mimosa is a remedy for: Anxiety

Cooking with Mimosa

Boil young leaves. The blossoms are edible like a vegetable or crystallized. The seeds are NOT edible.

How to grow Mimosa

Silk tree grows vigorously in disturbed areas such as roadsides, forest edges and various open habitats. It is a hardy plant that tolerates a variety of soil and moisture conditions, enhanced by the ability of its roots to produce nitroge, and displaces native trees and shrubs, spreading by seed and vegetative means. Once established, it is difficult to remove due to its long-lived seeds and its ability to re-sprout vigorously.

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