Description
| Scientific name | Albizia coriaria |
| Synonyms | Mugavu ; Albizia |
| Native distribution | East Africa, Tropical Africa |
| Biology | Deciduous tree ; High in between 15 – 30m ; Trunk often twisted and up to 100cm diameter ; Crown spreading and flat ; Leaves are new growth pale bright green, bipinnate with 3-6 pairs pinnae and 6-11 pairs of medium-large leaflets, all about equal in size to 3cm long, narrowly oval-oblong, rounded and often wider at the base ; Bark is grey-black, rough and scaling raggedly ; Flowers are very sweet smelling, white flowers in half-spherical heads ; Fruit is flat purple-brown pods, often shiny, 14-20cm long, about 3cm wide. |
| Ecology | Slow-growing ; It is a pioneer species requiring light |
| Habitat | It is found at forest edges, in wooded grassland, woodland and thicket 850 – 1700m above sea level. It will not grow in tropical forest with a closed canopy |
| Wood | The sapwood is soft but the heavy heartwood is hard and durable. The brown timber makes good furniture. Density is around 600 kg/m3 for a moisture content of 12%. The wood is hard and is durable, termite resistant and the timber works easily. Application : firewood, charcoal, timber, poles, furniture, boat building, fodder, bee forage, ornamental |
| NTFPs | Roots and bark are use for medicine ; The leaves can be used to hasting the ripening of banana |
| Services | Ideal for nitrogen fixation, shading thanks to the crown |
| Other information | In Uganda the tree is used as a prop for food climbers like Dioscorea, passion fruit and Taeferia. The Hima community makes beautiful milk jars from the wood. |