Mimosa tree
Scientific: Albizia julibrissin
Common: mimosa, silktree, silky acacia
Family: Fabaceae, subfamily Mimoideae
Introduction History: Introduced to North America as an ornamental in the 18th Century (Bartram, 1808; Cothran, 2004).
Origin: Asia
Categorization/Regulation: FISC Category I; UF/IFAS Assessment: “Invasive”
General Description: Perennial shrub or small tree. Often multi-trunked (Gilman & Watson, 1993), 3-6 meters (~10-20 feet) in height (Isley, 1998; Rico-Arce, 1997).
Habitat: Tolerant of a variety of soil conditions (Gilman & Watson, 1993). Prefers full sun to partial shade. Common in low nutrient, recently disturbed sites with high light availability (Best et al., 1983; Meyer, 2010; Weber, 2017).
Invaded Range: Tropical and subtropical latitudes globally. Domestically, A. julibrissin occurs primarily in the southeastern United States, with a distribution extending west into Texas and the southern Great Plains and northward into parts of the Mid-Atlantic and lower Midwest (USDA NRCS).
Leaves: Deciduous, bipinnately compound leaves 20-32 cm long (Rico-Arce, 1997). A. julibrissin has 5-12 pinnae pairs per leaf, 13-30 leaflet pairs per pinna, and leaflets measuring 6-25 mm (0.24-1 in) long and 2-6 mm (0.08-0.24 in) wide (Franck, 2025; Isley, 1998; Rico-Arce, 1997; Weaklet et al., 2025).
Flowers: Showy, globular cluster, or capitula, of small tubular flowers. Light pinkish in color (Isley, 1998; Rico-Arce, 1997).
Fruit: Legume, flattened and 3-8 inches in length (Weakley et al., 2025).
Seeds: Prolific seed producer when mature with high viability reported (Pitman, 2008), 4-11 seeds per legume (Rico-Arce, 1997). Fire has been documented to encourage germination rates (Gogue & Emino, 1979).
Notable Look-Alike: Similar in growth form to another common invasive, woman's tongue tree (Albizia lebbeck). Mimosa (A. julibrissin) has a more northern range within Florida and is uncommon South of Lake Okeechobee (27 °N) (Weakley et al., 2025; Wunderlin et al, 2025). A. julibrissin has 13-30 leaflet pairs per pinna, while A. lebbeck has 4-8 (Franck, 2025; Isley, 1998; Weakley et al., 2025; Wunderlin et al., 2025). In Florida, the other two known species of Albizia species (A. lebbekoides, A. procera) have only been documented in Miami-Dade county (Wunderlin et al., 2025).
Fun Fact: This plant is used in traditional Chinese medicine practices for a wide variety of ailments and has been researched for multiple clinical uses (Huang et al., 2023; Li et al., 2022; Yang & Li, 2019; Wang et al., 2000).
There is evidence of high genetic diversity and rapid evolution within the invaded range (Pardini, 2006).
Reported as a strong competitor plant in disturbed sites and open areas (Remaley, 2005).
As a nitrogen fixer (Allen & Allen, 1981), this plant can alter nutrient cycles of native habitats.
Do not plant or disseminate propagules of this tree. Commonly used in ornamental and ethnobotanical plantings, therefore presents a greater risk for spread and impact. This plant has been investigated as a forage plant for the United States (Bransby et al., 1992), but there are native plant alternatives which demonstrate similar or greater nutrient content (Animut et al., 2007) and do not risk further proliferation.
Physical removal of mimosa has been field trialed and was found to be feasible due to the superficial root structure (Cutway, 2017). Mechanical cutting practices can reduce seed production, but prolific root resprouting may require follow-up treatment (Pitman, 2008; Remaley, 2005; Swearingen et al., 2002).
There is evidence of an exotic insect pest, albizia seed beetle (Bruchidius terrenus), which, despite being introduced accidentally, demonstrates significant reduction of seed production and viability in mimosa (Chang et al., 2011; DeLoach, 1997; Moore, 2006). There is also documentation of a root fungus (Bean & McClellan, 1996) and a psyllid species (Harizanova et al., 2012; Ulyshen & Miller, 2007) which are known to negatively impact the growth and survival of this plant.
Basal-bark applications*: 15% triclopyr ester 12-15 inch band from soil surface (Enloe et al., 2018; Langeland & Stocker, 1997).
*Single application effective for <3 inch diameter trunks. Trees with a greater diameter may require re-treatment (Enloe et al., 2018)
Cut stump: 10% triclopyr ester (Langeland & Stocker, 1997); 25-50% triclopyr amine (Enloe et al., 2018; Langeland & Stocker, 1997; Remaley, 1998); 25% glyphosate (Remaley, 1998); 10% aminopyralid (Enloe et al., 2018; Koepke-Hill et al., 2012).
