Mimosa (Albizia julibrissin)

Friday July 15
My blip was taken as we were returning from our morning bike ride on the Little Miami trail, this morning starting from South Lebanon, 16 miles return. I had noticed this tree at the entrance driveway to the large Catholic church fairly near our house, as we were driving down to the bike trail, so on the way back, I asked Roger if he would stop. Also known as the Silk tree, it is a native of Asia that was introduced in the United States in 1745. It was cultivated as an ornamental tree due to its fragrant and showy flowers. The genus name, Albizia, honors Filippo degli Albizzia, an Italian naturalist, who introduced the Silk Tree to Tuscany, Italy. The species name, Julibrissin, comes from the Persian word "gul-i brisham" which means silk flower. Its leaves slowly close during the night and during periods of rain, the leaflets bowing downward; thus its modern Persian name shabkhosb means "night sleeper". Similarly, In Japan its common names are nemunoki, nemurinoki and nenenoki which all mean "sleeping tree".
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