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Silk tree is a fast growing, deciduous small tree reaching heights up to 35 ft (10.7 m). The mimosa, as it is also called, has an open, airy, umbrellalike canopy often with multiple trunks. The trunk is smooth and the branches arch gracefully. The leaves are about 1 ft (0.3 m) long, held alternately on the stem and twice compound. Each featherlike leaf has a central rachis (leaf stem) with a dozen or so side branches bearing the 0.5 in (1.3 cm) leaflets. The tiny flowers are pink and arranged in compound clusters about 6 in (15.2 cm) across that look like fluffy silk powder puffs. Their fragrance fills the mid-summer air and attracts honey bees. The flattened seeds are held in pods, 4-8 in (10.2-20.3 cm) long and 1.5 in (3.8 cm) wide. There are several named cultivars differing mainly in flower color.
Location
Light: Best in full sun; tolerates partial shade. Moisture: Drought tolerant. Soil: Thrives in a wide range of soil conditions, including alkaline soils. Hardiness: USDA Zones 6-9. Withstands total neglect, as evidenced by its naturalization throughout the southeastern U.S. from Washington D.C. to Florida. Propagation: Seed, but the hard seat coat requires scarification before germination can occur. Nick the seed with a file, soak it in sulfuric acid, or plunge it into boiling water.
Usage
This is a great tree to grow right next to the house so it can expand over the roof or patio. The open, airy canopy makes silk trees highly wind-resistant, and they never get big enough to cause damage if they should break off. The leaflets fold up at night, allowing heat to escape from the roof or patio. And, all the leaves fall off in winter so the sun can get through.
Steve Christman 5/29/97; Updated 7/05/98, 9/9/00, 5/31/04, 6/15/04, 6/3/06, 3/10/08
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WARNING: Silk tree is listed by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category I species, defined as an invasive exotic plant that is disrupting native plant communities. In many parts of Florida and the southeast, silk tree has invaded road shoulders, abandoned fields and (in rare cases) natural habitats. I (SC) think its threat to natural plant communities is overstated.
