All plants /Tree /Mimosa
Mimosa
Albizia julibrissin, legume family. Common in East and Central Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Pink powder-puff flowers
- How
- Flowers raw as garnish or steeped as tea
- When
- Early summer
- Where
- Yards, roadsides, disturbed ground
- Value
- Delicate and floral
Caution: Use the flowers; skip the pods and seeds. An introduced tree, so gather away from sprayed areas. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
Feathery leaves and silky pink 'powder-puff' flowers make this introduced tree easy to know.
Uses
The sweet flowers garnish salads and desserts, and both flowers and bark have a long history in traditional calming teas.
Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.