Kala Siris / Black Siris
Albizia odoratissima
Also known as Ceylon Rosewood
- Habit
- Tree
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan & more
- Flowering
- May-February
How to identify Kala Siris
Identify Kala Siris by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a tree habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Strongly fragrant flowers, valuable timber.
- Confirm leaf type: Bipinnately compound.
- Confirm leaf shape: Feathery bipinnate leaflets.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: May-February.
- In India, compare location records such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and nearby regions.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Albizia odoratissima
- Genus
- Albizia
- Family
- Mimosaceae
- Habit
- Tree
- Habitat
- Dry deciduous forests, also in the plains
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Himalayas, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indo-China, Myanmar, West Malesia
- Found in India
- Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya
- Flowering & fruiting
- May-February
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf type
- Bipinnately compoundrecordedThe leaf is divided twice — each 'leaflet' is itself a row of smaller leaflets, giving a fine, fern-like look.“Leaves are bipinnately compound, downy, with three to nine pairs of pinnae and ten to thirty pairs of pinnules.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf shape
- Feathery bipinnate leafletsrecorded
- Leaf surface
- PubescentrecordedCovered in short, soft hairs.“Leaves are bipinnately compound, downy, with three to nine pairs of pinnae and ten to thirty pairs of pinnules.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Siris itself; the rest are typical of the Mimosaceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded“The species is liable to genetic degradation due to the 'extensive felling of phenotypically superior trees for commercial purposes.' The fragrant flowers are white withering to a ” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Legume
Characters marked “recorded” are for Kala Siris itself; the rest are typical of the Mimosaceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- काला सिरिस Kala Siris
- Nepali
- कालो शिरिश Kalo Shirish
- Bengali
- কাকুর সিরিস Kakur Siris, কাকুর সিরিস
- Tamil
- சிலை Cilai, கருவாகை Karu-Vakai, கருவாகை
- Telugu
- చిందుగ Cinduga, చిండుగ
- Kannada
- ಕಾಡು ಬಾಗೆ Kaadu Baage, ಬಿಲ್ವಾರ Bilvaara, ಬಿಳಿವಾರ
- Malayalam
- കരുവാക Karuvaka, കുന്നിവാക Kunnivaka, നെല്ലിവാക Nellivaka, പുളിവാക
- Marathi
- चिंचवा Chinchava, चिंचवा, चिचवा
About Kala Siris
Black Siris (Albizia odoratissima) belongs to the Mimosaceae family, where it grows as a tree. In India it has been recorded in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and 11 other states. It grows in dry deciduous forests, also in the plains. Flowering and fruiting run from May to February.
Uses
Locally it is used to hold soil and restore degraded ground.
Mimosaceae
Mimosa/Acacia family
Kala Siris belongs to the Mimosaceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
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Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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