Tree of the month - ‘Rouge de Touilliere’

Posted on: 30 August 2024

Albizia julibrissin ‘Rouge de Touilliere’ is a variety of Albizia julibrissin originating from the Dordogne and is named after Italian Filippo degli Albizzi who was responsible for introducing it to Europe in the 18^th century. This clonal variety is rated to survive to down to -15°C so it should do well here, although the lifespan can be short; sometimes only 30 years. 

Albizia is part of the Fabaceae family, which means it has nitrogen fixing capabilities. The roots form small nodules that are able to fix nitrogen present in the atmosphere, this is due to the presence of nitrogen fixing bacteria in the nodules.

This forms a small tree that is generally around 8m high and 8m wide.  It may only store 50kg of carbon when mature but it makes up for this with its prized ornamental properties . Our tree is young with a girth of 12cm and currently stands 3m high. It is often late coming into leaf in spring but they are of great interest, the leaves are composed of small leaflets and range in size from 15-40cm, the leaflets fold up in the evening time and open up come the morning. They form delicate, mimosa-like, green bi-pinnate leaves which turn to purple-red in the autumn.

The flowers are the real show stopper of this tree.  It produces clusters or pompoms which are made up of brightly pink/red coloured stamens and lightens up towards the base. Up close one can get a strong sweet scent.

The flowering period for this tree is from July to September, ours is just about to come into flower so keep an eye out. The flowers give way to the fruits of the tree, which common to the family Fabaceae are flat pods containing up to 20 pea like seeds.

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• Sustainability