a white mimosa tree

Has anyone ever heard of a white mimosa? The mimosas are all blooming along the interstate here, and for the past 2 years I have noticed a lone mimosa with white blooms. I don't know if this is rare and deserving of my trying to get a photograph or not.

I think the usual Albizia julibrissin only has pinkish flowers, but maybe this one is really pale pink? Either that or maybe it's a different species...I think A. lebbeck has white flowers. No idea if that's something typically found in your area though.

Certainly get a photo -- can't hurt, right? -- and mark or note the exact location for potential future investigation. Who knows -- maybe it's even sterile! Imagine a "guilt-free" Albizia that could be propagated vegetatively and planted without fear of rampant reproduction!

Guy S.

There aren't any White Mimosas that are sterile to the best of my knowledge. There's Albizia julibrissin 'Alba' and it can hybridize. There's also Albizia kalkora which is beginning to make an appearance. It readily hybridizes too I am told. Please do share a photo of all of those Mimosas in bloom along the Interstate.

That's why we need to find one!
;-)

I'm not at all familiar with the 'Alba' cultivar and didn't even know there was one. I don't believe A. kalkora from India is hardy anywhere colder than coastal Georgia, which is the only place I've ever seen it, but maybe others know more about it?

Guy S.

This is a wild tree, not cultivated. It is right there among the pink ones that stretch for miles along the interstate. Since I saw it last year I looked for it to bloom this year. It is on state right of way and I will need to wait until maybe an early Sunday morning when the traffic is light to try to photograph it. Maybe there won't be too many state troopers at that time to question what I am doing there. If I do get a photo this bloom season I will post it.

I believe it was the University of Florida of all places that was responible for A. julibrissin 'Alba'. Rumor has it A. kalkora is now beginning to be marketed as a... are you sitting down... non invasive alternative to A. julibrissin. A sterile A. julibrissin cultivar- hmmmmm, seems to me we'd end up with a bunch of sterile Albizia with offspring that are anything but sterile. A Calleryana repeat performance. Oh yea!

Normally I just leave the Mimosa bashing threads alone (it is just not worth dealing some people) but with the chance that this might be a new or rare type of tree do investigate it and watch it very carefully - it might be another normal tree and it prob. is just that but you might have found something great out there. So you own it to the plant world to get out there and look to see!
They are a great looking tree when given care and hold wonderful thoughts and memories for a lot of us - happy looking and good luck.

ForestFarm sells Albizia Chinensis which it says has white flowers but is hardy only to z9. It also says it's a larger tree, up to 50ft.

I passed by the site Sunday wondering if I could take a pic...the blooms are starting to fade and I knew it was this weekend or never. A state trooper was working an accident there and I didn't want to pull off the interstate and start taking pictures and causing a distraction so I will try again next year. It could just be very pale pink but I haven't seen any like it.

Think you can grab some seeds off of it? I would give it a try.

It was in a long stand of mimosa that line the interstate. Once the blooms are gone, I don't know if I can identify it because I have never gotten close enough. My intention was to take some pics and then put a ribbon around the base of the tree so I could identify it later. I doubt if I can get seeds this year because I won't know which tree it is.