Japanese name: オオバネムノキ（大葉合歓木） Scientific name:Albizia kalkora
[Overview]
A small deciduous tree growing on seacoasts, up to 6 m tall.
Leaves are alternate and twice evenly pinnately compound, with 3–6 pairs of nearly opposite pinnae.
Each pinna is 10–20 cm long and bears 9–15 pairs of leaflets.
The leaflets are opposite, oblong to narrowly obovate, 2–4 cm long and 8–15 mm wide, entire, with short soft hairs on both surfaces.
There is a large round nectary on the upper side of the petiole base, and the bases of the petioles and leaflet stalks are swollen and are called pulvini.
One to three flower heads, each consisting of 10–20 flowers, arise from the leaf axils.
The long white stamens stand out, giving the flowers a puff-like appearance.
The fruit is a pod 16 cm long and 3.5 cm wide.
[Notes]
Because the turgor pressure of the cells in the pulvini changes between day and night, the leaves show sleep movements, and the Japanese name derives from the way the leaves close at night as if sleeping.
