Albizia is a genus of about 150 species of mostly fast-growing subtropical and tropical trees and shrubs in the Subfamily Mimosoideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The genus is pantropical, occurring in Asia, Africa, Madagascar, Central, South, and southern North America and Australia, but mostly in the Old World tropics.

Albizia lebbeck is synonymously known as Acacia lebbeck, Acacia lebbek, Acacia macrophylla, Acacia speciosa, Albizia latifolia, Albizia lebbeck var. leucoxylon, Albizia lebbeck var. pubescens, Albizia lebbeck var. rostrata, Albizia lebbek sensu, Feuilleea lebbeck, Inga borbonica, Inga leucoxylon, Mimosa lebbeck, Mimosa lebbek, Mimosa sirissa, Mimosa speciose and Pithecellobium splitgerberianum. It is a deciduous, perennial medium-sized legume tree. It reaches 3 to 15 m in plantations and up to 30 m in the open. Its dense shade-producing crown can be as large as 30 m in diameter. The fruits are 10 to 30 cm long x 3 to 6 cm broad, reddish-brown pods that contain free moving seeds. They produce an incessant rattle in the wind, reminding one of women’s chatter, hence the name “women’s tongue”. Lebbek is a multipurpose tree. As a fodder tree, its foliage, twigs, flowers and immature pods are relished by different classes of livestock (camels, cattle, small ruminants and rabbits). It is also a source of firewood and timber. Lebbek is suitable for agroforestry regimes in which the benefits of animal production are combined with wood production, and it is used for shelter belts and as shading tree in coffee and tea plantations.