Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Trees

Albizia chinensis

Chinese silk tree

A large deciduous fast growing tropical or subtropical tree, often multi-stemmed with a flat spreading crown and delicate mimosa-like divided leaves composed of many tiny leaflets. Roundish fluffy creamy white powder-puff flowers are produced in wide open panicles at the top of the tree, followed by clusters of long, narrow, pale brown pods that can hang on into winter.

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
1 suppliers

Ultimate height

Higher than 12 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Sand

Loam

Chalk

Moisture

Well–drained

pH

Acid, Neutral, Alkaline

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Fabaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched
Genus: Albizia can be deciduous trees, shrubs or climbers, with attractive bipinnate leaves with tiny leaflets, and flowerheads composed of many small flowers with prominent stamens
Name status: Correct

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in well-drained soil in full sun. Alternating mild and cold spells may damage top-growth. Saplings should flower in three years.

Propagation

Root semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in summer. Propagate by seed: collect seeds from pea-like pods and soften their coats in very hot water, leave to cool for 24 hours and sow. After germination transplant into root trainers to avoid disturbing tap roots.

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Sub-tropical
Coastal
Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Pruning group 1 or pruning group 13 if wall-trained.

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to verticillium wilt and honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.