Albizia julibrissin Tropical Dream

Albizia julibrissin Tropical Dream is a variety of Silk Tree appreciated for its hardiness, which allows it to withstand temperatures as low as -20 °C (-4 °F) without protection once well established. Its other assets include an early flowering, a long and exuberant summer flowering in bright pink heads, a lovely umbrella-like habit and a light foliage reminiscent of a mimosa. Well adapted to most climates, this deciduous small tree provides light shade and a touch of exoticism in the summer near a terrace.

Albizia julibrissin is a deciduous small tree of the Fabaceae family, native to an area stretching from Iran (formerly called Persia) to eastern China. It is also called Acacia or Constantinople Mimosa.

The 'Tropical Dream' cultivar was selected from numerous seedlings grown in the hills of Seoul, Korea, for its good cold resistance. Its growth is quite slow, favoured by a moist soil. It usually reaches a height of 5 to 6 m (16 ft 5 in to 19 ft 8 in) in colder climates, and has a spreading crown with a diameter equal to or slightly larger than its height. It blooms from July to mid-September, during which new flowers open every day. The tree produces plume-like and silky inflorescences from a young age, which have earned it its name of silk tree. They are actually composed of long stamens in a bright and vivid pink colour, clearly visible, surpassing the rudimentary corollas grouped in heads. The fragrance of the flowers is mainly noticeable up close, powdery and sweet. The flowering gives way to a fruit, a flat pod, 8 to 20 cm (3.1 to 7.9 in) long, initially green then brown, containing 5 to 15 fairly large oval seeds, which germinate easily.

The deciduous leaves, light green, are alternate and very large, measuring from 15 to 40 cm (5.9 to 15.7 in). They are divided into large leaflets, themselves subdivided into small leaflets. In the evening, the leaflets fold in on themselves. The bark is thin, grey-green then grey, almost smooth, with whitish lenticels. Finally, and this is a characteristic of plants in the Fabaceae family, the roots form nodules capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen, through specific bacteria present in these organs. The taproot system of this small tree does not tolerate transplanting well. The lifespan of the Albizia varies, and in colder climates it usually reaches around thirty years.

The majestic and airy Tropical Dream Silk Tree is planted as a standalone tree, to provide light shade to a terrace, for example. Its flowering enhances its exotic side. It is highly resistant to summer drought, adapts to a wide range of soils (pH from 4.1 to 7.9), requires very little maintenance, and responds well to pruning.