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Black Siris
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Black Siris
ative Photo: Dinesh Valke
Common name: Black Siris, Ceylon rosewood, fragrant albizia, tea shade tree • Assamese: কৰৈ koroi • Bengali: কাকুর সিরিস kakur siris • Garo: khelbi • Gujarati: કાળો શિરીષ kalo shirish • Hindi: काला सिरिस kala siris • Kannada: ಕಾಡು ಬಾಗೆ Kaadu baage, ಬಿಲ್ವಾರ Bilvaara • Khasi: dieng krait • Konkani: काळी शिरस kali siras • Malayalam: കരുവാക karuvaka, കുന്നിവാക kunnivaka, നെല്ലിവാക nellivaka, പുളിവാക pulivaka • Manipuri: ꯎꯏꯜ Uil • Marathi: चिंचवा chinchava • Mizo: Thing-ri • Nepali: कालो शिरिश kalo shirish • Oriya: tiniya • Sanskrit: शिरीष shirisha • Tamil: சிலை cilai, கருவாகை karu-vakai • Telugu: చిందుగ cinduga • Nepali: कारकुरे शिरीष Kaarakure Shireesh, कालो शिरीष Kaalo Shireesh
Botanical name: Albizia odoratissima    Family: Mimosaceae (Touch-me-not family)
Synonyms: Acacia odoratissima, Albizia micrantha, Mimosa odoratissima

Black Siris is a medium sized tree up to 22 m tall, diameter 120-150 cm, and a short trunk. Bark is dark grey to light brown with horizontal warts. Crown is spreading, relatively dense with drooping leaves. Branching habit is uniform, but irregularities occur when the tree is damaged. Leaves are dark green, double compound; rachis 7-20 cm long, bearing 1 lower gland 1-2 cm above the base, and 1 upper gland between the 2 distal pairs of side-stalks. Side-stalks are 3-5 pairs, 7-14 cm long; per side-stalks, 10-16 pairs of oblong to obovate leaflets, 1.1-3.5 cm x 0.6-1.2 cm. Inflorescence is clustered into hairy panicles 8-20 cm long, at branch ends. Flowers are 10-15 per head, dimorphic, pale yellowish white, fragrant. Pods are thin, flat, 13-30 cm long, 2.5-3.5 cm broad, leathery, brown when ripe, dehiscent, each containing 8-14 seeds. Seeds ovoid, 9 mm x 6 mm x 1.5 mm. The black siris occurs naturally in Southern China, Myanmar and peninsular India. It is extensively grown in its native range and has been introduced in Eastern Africa.
Medicinal uses: The bark of the tree is useful in ulcers, leprosy, skin diseases, cough, bronchitis, diabetes and burning sensation.

Identification credit: Shrikant Ingalhalikar Photographed in Karnataka & Mizoram.

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