Beginner Gardening: NEWBIE - Please Identify (Albizia?) Plant for MIL in TX, 0 by alamode

alamode wrote:
Last year, I was in Texas visiting my MIL. She's located just over the bridge of South Padre Island and had this plant growing in a pot on her stoop. It's a woody stemmed plant that is about 15in high and across.

I'm a Jersey girl and thought it looked a bit like our mimosa trees. Perhaps Albizia lebbeck? This particular plant was purchased in a mixed 15in pot by my MIL's beloved sister in TX - right before she succumbed to cancer in 2001. My MIL would LOVE to know how to properly care for her plant and would really like to share it with others.

My MIL recently sent me a few seed pods. She was hoping that I could start a plant as well, but every thing I've read online (if this is A.lebbeck) states that it cannot tolerate frost and I KNOW mimosa trees (A.julibrissin) are considered nuisance plants to many in this area. I'm hoping that someone here might recognize this plant and be able to identify it with certainty.

I really appreciate your time. This is my first visit to Dave's, but I have the feeling it won't be my last! Wow!

Jennifer in NJ