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Mimosa
It’s June 20, 2005, and there are 2-3 different small trees blooming around Greensboro right now – the mimosa, sumac, and the “tree of heaven.” Well, throw in the Magnolias still holding to their blooms, and that makes four.
Today I’d like to write briefly about a favorite tree just opening up all over town, a kid’s favorite, and a non native, the “mimosa” or “silk tree.”
Technically, the tree is commonly called “mimosa” because is very much resembles a smaller plant, genus “Mimosa.” The real genus of our “mimosa” tree is “Albizia.” That’s just some trivia in case you ever get onto Jeopardy.
Our “mimosa” is not a native plant. It came to us from south Asia and has done quite well for itself here. It very much likes to grow along roadsides and disturbed areas, and on the edges of clearings, which means we get to see it and its pretty flowers a lot.
Several characteristics mark out this small tree. First, the manner in which it grows is distinctive. From a smooth light gray to light brownish bark, the branches spread out to a broad and flat crown, easily noticeable driving by all over Greensboro. The tree is small, rarely getting over twenty feet in height. So, even before the flowers come out, it’s easy to tell from the shape of the crown that Mimosa flowers are coming.
Second, the leaves are “twice compound.” If you think of a normal everyday compound leaf, say the leaf of a pecan or an ash tree, the leaf itself is make up of a stalk from which come other leaves, or “leaflets.” So, on a compound leaf there may be seven to eleven leaflets per leaf. A double compound leaf is one in which the leaflets are themselves compounded, that is, they are themselves make of little stalks and smaller leaflets. A double compound leaf like that of the mimosa looks very fernlike, very delicate. The double compounded leaflets are very small, maybe a half inch long and an eighth of an inch wide. One of the “fun” traits about this tree is that these little leaflets tend to fold up at night, like they are tucking themselves into bed. It’s kind of cute.
Third, the Mimosa, like the red bud and catalpa and locust and wisteria, is a “legume” which means that after it flowers it grows and develops a hanging dangling flat seedpod about six to eight inches long.
But fourth, and most specially, the Mimosa or “silk tree” has one of the most unusual and delicate flowers of any tree of plant to be found anywhere. ‘Indeed, “silk tree” is an appropriate nickname for this tree, as the flowers seem to be woven of silk. You’ve seen them, and if you’ve been to busy to notice, you can see then right now all over town. The flower is actually a cluster of many individual flowers about two inches across, having sort of a pom-pom or powder puff appearance, the long silky stamens being white toward the bottom and reddish toward the tips, making the whole cluster appear more pink than anything else. The pistil and nectar (one per flower, but remember, actual visible pom pom shaped “flower” is made up of many individual flowers) are shorter and deep inside the long silky stamens.
The flowers are very fragrant, and loved by hummingbirds and bumblebees alike. Unless you’re prone to allergies, a deep whiff is in order if you pass one by; just make sure no bee is inside!
The beauty of the Mimosa flower is in its delicacy. There is no flower like it, and it has become a favorite wild flower of adults and children alike. It is however a non native species, and it competes aggressively along disturbed roadsides and field sides for space otherwise taken up by native species, and is therefore considered by many to be a, ecological problem.
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